


Surviving Stormcrest

by SereneDarkness



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Errortale (Undertale), Alternate Universe - Horrorfell (Undertale), Alternate Universe - Horrorswap (Undertale), Alternate Universe - Horrortale (Undertale), Alternate Universe - Inktale (Undertale), Alternate Universe - Mobtale (Undertale), Alternate Universe - Swapfell (Undertale), Alternate Universe - Underfell (Undertale), Alternate Universe - Underswap (Undertale), Big monsters, Multi, Multiple Relationships, Not Beta Read, Polyamory, Reader-Interactive, Reincarnation, Reverse Harem, dating sim, multiple AUs
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-06
Updated: 2020-12-16
Packaged: 2021-03-09 21:20:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 21,731
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27922915
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SereneDarkness/pseuds/SereneDarkness
Summary: He shot you. You died. The end.Except, it's not really the end. You're given another chance....Turns out that other chance is in a dating sim! Welcome to Stormcrest: A Skele-ton of Love, dear Reader!--Summary is a WIP :)
Relationships: Papyrus (Undertale)/Reader, Sans (Undertale)/Reader
Comments: 93
Kudos: 120





	1. The Beginning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He shot you. You died. The end.
> 
> Except... it's not really the end.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note: Currently unedited
> 
> Hi! Welcome to Stormcrest Apartments! Hope you enjoy your stay :)
> 
> WARNING!: Before you read, make sure you're comfortable reading scenes with violence (it's not graphic, but violence is violence). There won't be a lot of them, but they do exist. In fact, Chapter One starts off with one. If you want to skip it, go past the italicized text at the start. Otherwise, I would suggest forgoing this fic. There are a few self-deprecating statements, but nothing overly bad (there will be no mention of suicide, for example). If you don't feel safe reading anything of the sort, again, please don't read this. I want everyone to be happy and healthy! So let me know if there's any warnings I missed!
> 
> All Universes included in this fic:
> 
> Undertale  
> Underfell  
> Underswap  
> Swapfell  
> Horrortale  
> Horrorfell  
> Horrorswap  
> Mafiatale  
> Inktale  
> Errortale

**Chapter One: The Beginning**

_This camping trip had fast turned into a disaster-waiting-to-happen. Not exactly ideal. Nope, not at all. It would have been better off staying the way it started. But oh, well. No use crying over spilled milk, you supposed._

_On the bright side, everything had been fantastic up until just then- the campfire stories, the s’mores, the hot dogs. Everyone had been getting along, having fun and laughing-_

_Well- maybe not everyone, but no one seemed upset, so that was progress! So! Consider this get-to-know-you trip a success for both you and your tenants!_

_The entire experience was so nostalgic and fun; more fun than you’ve had in years, actually. Fond memories of your childhood warmed your chest- a pleasant sort of deja vu that you had sorely missed. You were glad you could add another memory to those ones- uh, probably not all of the trip. But the good parts were worth saving._

_If you were being honest, it’d gone better than you thought it would, really. So maybe it wasn’t so far fetched that it was starting to go wrong now._

_You were glad, at least, that it wasn’t any of the others in this situation. Even if it wasn’t particularly fun to be out in the dark like this, like you were in a horror movie and a killer was lurking in the shadows ready to murder you at any moment._

_None of them deserved to be scared and alone. Not even for a second._

_You frowned down at your feet, swinging your legs as you waited atop a fallen tree. It wasn’t the most comfortable seat and certainly not the most sturdy - it was rotting and falling apart - but it worked well enough as a place to wait. Besides, that wasn’t the important part._

_No, the important part was that you were lost. Completely and hopelessly lost._

_Being lost in the woods wasn’t very fun- at night it was a hundred times worse. Every sound, every movement, nearly gave you a heart attack. It was amplified in your ears, despite the pounding of your heart doing its damnedest to block out all other sound. Potential dangers nagged at the back of your head like little alarms going off every few seconds. But you had to stay strong and stay put if you wanted out safe and sound._

_You’d only make it worse if you tried to get out on your own. You’d get lost further in, maybe fall somewhere and get stuck, trapped and alone. There would be no food, no water, and you would surely die. There were a lot of ways that things could go wrong, with very real consequences. And besides, there could be predators! What if there was a bear or-_

_No, best not to dwell on any of that. Stop it. It would do you no good._

_Besides, the others would wake eventually and notice you missing, and then you’d be out of here in no time, no worse for wear! Even if you had to wait for the morning. Right? You pushed your uncertainty aside. Right._

_You crossed your fingers that you wouldn’t have anything (or anyone) stumbling upon you before they did._

_Oh! And that the skeletons would go easy on you when they found you, now that you gave it more thought. Kinda hard to think through the panic._

_There was no doubt about it though- you were definitely going to be chastised for being reckless. You had it coming. You’ll admit it hadn't been the best idea to go alone (no matter how badly you had to use the bathroom), especially at this time of night. Unlike them, you couldn’t see in the dark. But, in the end, a little embarrassment would be worth getting out of here. You’d take a few scoldings over dying any day. And them reacting that way would just show you that they cared, so you honestly wouldn’t mind too much, even if you were a little nervous about disappointing them. It would be a little endearing, even._

_Behind you came the sharp snap of a twig breaking and your breath caught, thoughts grinding to a halt. What was that? You tensed up, fear bubbling in your gut uncomfortably. Oh, god. It really was like a horror movie! You (mostly) thought you were just over exaggerating before! What if someone else was out here with you, hiding just out of sight, waiting for the perfect moment? Someone dangerous? What if they had a weapon? What if they killed you? No, stay calm, it’s just an animal. Just a raccoon or an opossum._

_If it had been someone else, especially if they were a murderer, they surely would have shown themself by now, you tried rationalizing to yourself. You were very obviously all alone and vulnerable. Even in the dark that much was obvious; there was just enough light from the full moon and the stars tonight that your figure on the log would be visible. And the lack of any other silhouettes._

_Or... if it wasn’t an animal that broke that branch, maybe it was one of the others? Maybe they were pranking you. It would make sense. A decent amount of your new tenants were jokesters, you’d noticed before. Relief came with that thought. Yeah, that had to be it. You’d be fine now! It was a little earlier than you’d thought they’d show up, since it was still very late, but you weren’t gonna complain about that._

_Hesitantly, you twisted around on the log and called out into the trees surrounding you, "... Sans? Is that you? … Stretch?"_

_No answer._

_You stood slowly and tried again, taking a few tentative steps towards the treeline of the little clearing "Hello? Guys? You there?"_

_You had to be brave._

_Again, no answer. Just some crickets chirping in the grass nearby and an owl hooting in the trees overhead, a little off in the distance. You were embarrassed, even though you shouldn’t be. No one was there to hear you talk to thin air. It’d been an animal after all. You didn’t need to be scared._

_Turns out you were very wrong about that._

_You didn’t get much warning, just the soft crunching of leaves underfoot off to your right, before your arm was seized in a tight grip and you were jerked forward. A shrill scream tore from your throat as your shoulder popped from its socket. Oh, fuck! Tears gathered in the corners of your eyes at the burn and you blinked fast, trying to clear the blur of them._

_You tilted your head up. And up. And up._

_"Oh!” above you, one of your camping buddies loomed, “Dread- what-"_

_Dread grinned down at you with his sharp, crooked smile, but said nothing as you were jostled in his tight grip._

_“Ow!” you yelped, but he seemed unfazed as he moved you a little closer still - tugging at your injured shoulder in the process again - and you shut your mouth so hard your teeth clicked uncomfortably together, wincing. His red eyelights were menacing in the pitch black of the forest, more so than they usually were, and you couldn't help the shiver that went up your spine._

_You stared at Dread and he stared back. Unease set in further, heavy and cold as the silence continued. Why wasn’t he saying anything? He wasn’t usually so quiet. And- and- why was he holding onto your arm like that, so tight? It really hurt. Owww!_

_He was scary (and he was hurting you- you wanted him to let go- to stop), but you tried not to jump to conclusions, regardless of the fear burrowing itself deep into your Soul. No, you couldn’t just assume the worst right away. It wasn’t right to jump to conclusions. The shoulder could’ve been an accident. He was much stronger than you and he wasn’t used to how things worked on the Surface. You could do this. You could give him the benefit of the doubt. You took a deep breath._

_"Dr-dread?" you managed to squeak out, “Are you okay? Why aren’t you saying anything?”_

_Dead silence. Then-_

_His unoccupied arm moved in your peripheral, a flash of something held in his hand, and you craned your neck to see what he was doing._

_Was that-_

_You choked on the question that had been on the edge of your tongue, spluttering as pain bloomed in your stomach. Blearily, you blinked wide-eyed at him, red pooling to the ground beneath the two of you. Your shirt felt hot and sticky. You were afraid to look down._

_You didn’t have to._

_The hand holding you let go and you hit the ground hard. It hurt. So, so much. Blood coated the backside of your clothes from the puddle that you had fallen in and chilled uncomfortably against your skin in the cool night air. You were acutely aware of it alongside the pain. Why was he doing this? Did he wait for you to get lost just so he could kill you? But… why would he do that? Panic made the lightheadedness worse and you were terrified. The questions jumbled together in your mind, forgotten as it hit you that you were bleeding out and no one was there to save you._

_You were going to die here._

_You were going to die._

_You weren’t just alone now- no- you’d been alone for a long time now._

_No one would come to save you. No one would care._

_"Wh… wha… wh-.. y?" You rasped, futilely pressing against the wound to stop the bleeding. All you did was get blood on your hands. It was too much. Dread wiped his weapon - a sharpened bone - against his shirt, smearing your blood against the fabric. The metallic scent of it permeated around you as you stared at that dark red- oh god. It was all around you._

_You felt nauseous as you watched him tilt his head to the side and let out a little 'hm', like he was thinking. Then he smirked down at you, and finally he spoke, his harsh voice cutting through his previous silence with callous words, "YOU'RE FOOD. NOTHING MORE, NOTHING LESS. WHAT ELSE DID YOU EXPECT OF ME? I DON’T LIKE TO PLAY WITH MY FOOD AND IT WAS TIRING, PRETENDING THIS WASN’T INEVITABLE."_

_You decided his silence was better than his words._

_He drew his arm back again, ready to strike, and you desperately tried to crawl away, bile rising in your throat._

_It was no use._

_The blade met its mark again. Excruciating pain, then nothing. You blacked out._

**Game Over** taunted you, big and bold across the screen as you pouted, "Shit! Oh, come on! This is ridiculously hard!"

You didn’t know Determination mode would be so absurdly difficult. So… gruesome! The difference between it and the easy, beginner-level Mercy mode was like night and day!

Mercy was cute and heartwarming. Just what you were expecting after hearing about the dating sim. It had a cheesy title and all. _Stormcrest: A Skele-ton of Love_. You actually really appreciated the cheesy joke. Not that you would tell anyone else that. 

But… you wanted more of it. Which is why you went to Determination. You found out very early on that choices were very limited in the base Mercy game. You were stuck with just a few romance options and thus just a few routes to go down (with only four of the eighteen skeleton tenants unlocked). It was a little disappointing at first, until your big brother (who had been the one to recommend the dating sim to you), told you that there was a lot more content in this new version. You were so curious - and so very excited - about all of the others’ routes!

You know the saying: curiosity killed the cat. 

And it definitely had. Again and again. And that cat turned out to be the poor MC. Dread was brutal! All of them were!

Maybe your brother was messing with you by recommending this game to you... Oh, well. You weren’t one to give up straight away. Besides, the characters (even the tough ones) had kind of stuck on you, if you were being honest. You were too attached to just toss the game aside before you had gotten anywhere with it.

With all of the failures you’ve been accumulating, now you know why you wouldn’t be able to go down any of the other skeleton’s routes with the standard mode. All of the edgy-looking ones were out for your blood straight from the get-go apparently (just look at what happened with Dread only a few minutes ago). There was no break from it. No warning. It just… started. The start of the game was the start of it all. 

Even the previous love interests were hesitant in warming up to you. It was obvious in hindsight that it wasn’t going to be anything like your previous playthrough, but at the time (when you first started) you hadn’t cared about the warning that popped up when you made a new game in Determination rather than Mercy. 

**“WARNING! This game contains scenes of violence and is not suitable for those who are easily disturbed.”**

Just a brief feeling of unease and you’d hopped right into it, wondering where violence would come into play but determined to get to know more skeletons. You thought maybe there would be a scene where one of the skeletons would come and save you from danger. Like maybe a kidnapping or something equally bad. 

Nope! Not the case at all. You didn’t have to worry about outsiders. You had to worry about the skeletons.

You wondered what was so different about Mercy mode for the skeletons themselves. You hadn’t died a single time when playing that one. Why didn’t they kill the protagonist then? Maybe the skeletons you could win over stopped all of the others from hurting you? That was probably it. And since even the nicer guys were harder to charm with Determination, you weren’t safe anymore. 

You still had no clue why that was, but it is how it is. All that was important about that was how you were going to survive in-game with this difference.

Let’s face it, without their protection you were toast.

You only got to the second day, a camping trip that the protagonist suggested they all take together for a welcoming party, before shit hit the fan. A camping trip you’d honestly not expected, since the Mercy playthrough had nothing of the sort, especially so soon in. The game started about a week earlier than it usually did in the original when the antagonist arrived at Stormcrest Apartments. 

So far, you hadn’t gotten past that trip. Somehow, you made a wrong decision with at least one of the skeletons every single time. 

And you couldn’t make a mistake with any of them. Or Game Over. Like with Dread. What had you even done to piss him off?

You were a little frustrated, but you didn’t want to stop playing. You were too invested at this point. 

Unfortunately, you couldn’t play all day.

**_Ping!_ **

**_Ping!_ **

You picked your phone up from its place beside you, atop the computer desk. Oh, just some Discord notifications. 

_Iro_

**_Ur still playing Stormcrest? wanna come chat?_ **

_King_Crypt_

**_Vc?_ **

You looked at the time on the little clock at the top of the screen, then typed out a quick message back. It was later than you thought it was. Your brothers would probably be a little disappointed that you couldn’t join, but maybe after work you could talk to them if they were still free.

_Marshmallow_

**_Sorry, can’t rn. I have to head off to work in a few._ **

You didn’t feel like leaving, nerves stirring in your gut at the thought of your job, but you knew you had to start getting ready now or you would be late. You spent a little too long playing Stormcrest. Setting your phone back down on the desk, you closed out of the **Game Over** screen still taunting you on the computer, stretching as you stood up.

You hoped work wouldn’t be too bad.

↢⟲↣

It wasn’t. It was worse when you got home. Left to drown in your thoughts, you choked under the pressure.

As much as you didn’t like your job, at least it kept you occupied. You couldn’t think too much when you were busy.

You were so lonely that you couldn’t bear it and you felt stuck. You felt like you wouldn’t ever amount to anything if things stayed the way they were. It stressed the hell out of you. Not that work didn’t stress you out either. Damn, you were so bad at talking to people. 

Hah, it was no wonder you didn’t have any friends. You needed to get better at that. Somehow.

Huddled under your blanket, exhausted from work, you considered playing Stormcrest again. You felt less lonely when you did. It might sound silly, but the skeletons felt like friends to you. You had to remind yourself that they didn’t exist. They weren’t really your friends. Hell, a lot of them didn’t even like you in the game!

Instead of playing it, you tapped Discord open on your phone. You said you would talk to your brothers if they were on and you wouldn’t break your word, even if they weren’t aware of the little promise you’d made in your head. Sure enough, they were in the voice chat, so you hopped in, too.

You don’t remember how it got onto the topic, but it doesn’t really matter at that point. You were just happy for an escape from the stress. Clung to it in your desperation. You were so very tired.

Maybe, if you left, you would feel better. _Be_ better.

You would have a fresh start. You would amount to something. You could even make friends.

“You should move in with me. It’ll take a couple hours drive, but I think it would be good. I miss you, little sib.” your brother had said. He didn’t know just how much that meant to you when he said it, but you would give him the biggest hug you could next time you saw him.

That night, you packed your things. You knew he didn’t mean straight away, but you didn’t want things to stay the way they were anymore, not even a little longer. Your brother helped you feel happier when you were down. He cared. Things would be different, starting now.

Eventually, you could even move out on your own!

You were a tad bit worried you’d be unwelcome this early, but you knew those were just your doubts speaking. He wouldn’t be upset at you showing up so soon. Just a little surprised.

You didn’t have a lot - just some clothes, some CDs, and a few other things - so it didn’t take long to pack. Everything fit snugly in your backpack. 

Thinking back on it, you weren’t really thinking that much in the moment, running on impulse as you were. You should’ve planned better. Waited a little longer.

But you just wanted to be happy.

So you left and got on a bus.

To pass the time, you pulled up the mobile version of Stormcrest on your phone, trying to ignore the persistent ache that always seemed to follow you.

You never said goodbye. You regret that now.

↢⟲↣

It happened quickly.

One moment, the bus was calm. You were playing the game and tentatively starting to feel the tiniest bit happy again, peering down at the screen as one of the illustrated skeletons cracked a joke that made you chuckle. You were glad your brother had introduced you to this game. Even with its flaws (namely, the difficulty you were having with it right then), it was super charming to you. Odd as some might find that, with how some of the skeletons acted.

The next, a man in a hoodie - hood pulled up over his head to obscure his face - boarded with a gun, and then there was only chaos.

You don’t know why he turned to you, in the end. You don’t know what made him look your way. Maybe you moved or maybe he just happened to glance your way. Terrified as you were, you couldn’t think straight. You sure as hell don’t know what made him antsy enough to pull the trigger.

Did it really matter why?

He shot you. You died. The end. 

And all you could think about with that gun aimed at you, before the trigger was pulled, was how you didn’t say goodbye.

Why didn’t you say goodbye?

You should have never boarded that bus.

You should’ve waited just a little longer.

↢⟲↣

“The end.”

You’d died, alone on that bus, bleeding out in the midst of the other passengers' panic. There was no going back. There was no happy ending. Everything just… stopped.

It was final.

Well... it should have been the end, it should have been final... but it wasn’t. 

Instead, you opened your eyes to a dimly lit study, lavishly furnished, with dark woods, golden accents, and warm tones. There was even a little gramophone set atop an end table in the corner. A tune was playing from it, one you recognized: The Ink Spots’ cover of We’ll Meet Again. Suffice to say, it was cozy, despite how disorientated you felt at the sudden change of scenery. You didn’t know what to think, honestly. It felt… off. You were supposed to be dead. You’d been shot only minutes ago. 

To the side, a brick fireplace was home to a little fire that crackled pleasantly, white noise in the background, co-mingling with the soft volume of the record playing, of what would otherwise be an eerily silent place. It helped to ease your nerves a little.

It was surreal. Somehow, you knew you weren’t dreaming. You were really there- wherever “there” was. You didn’t know how to feel about that.

Turning back to the centre of the room again, you found someone sitting behind the desk and felt a jolt of adrenaline go through you. You knew no one had been there the last time you looked over and fear stirred in your gut as you took the figure in. It only took one look for your mind to scream danger.

Smack dab in the middle of the room, hunched over in the chair due to its sheer size, a skeleton grinned back at you. A hooded cloak was drawn up atop its head, black wings sprouted from its back (stretching wide enough to nearly take up the width of the comfy study, you noted in startled, fearful amazement), and to top it off a scythe leaned behind it - just off to the side - against a bookshelf filled to the brim with old-looking tomes.

You couldn’t help but laugh at the absurdity of it all, and it came out as pure hysteria, bubbling up out of your mouth in a sort of startled, humourless laughter, before numbness finally settled in and you stopped. The connotations hadn’t escaped you.

There, sitting in front of you, was the Grim Reaper. Death. Of course it was Death. You had died. The fleeting hope that you were still alive when you woke up here was just that- hope. Not reality. And the end of the line led you to Death in a study of all places.

You didn’t know when you started to tremble, but your entire body shook with it. You were absolutely terrified. This was real. You died. You were in the presence of Death himself and he was… scary, to say the least. All was quiet but for the sound of the fire and the crooning of The Ink Spots for a few minutes more as you stood there, shaking while you held the gaze of Death. You couldn’t look away from him.

Then… 

The Grim Reaper spoke.

His voice was a deep rasp as he said your name, a low baritone that commanded attention, and you felt yourself relax regardless of the happenings of the day. The tone of it was very smooth and, for some reason, comforting to hear. You hadn’t expected The Grim Reaper to sound so calm and kind. He beckoned you forward and gestured toward the chair that sat in front of his desk, “Welcome. Come, sit down. You must know by now why you’re here.”

You could only nod, face grim as you took a seat, but you noticed that you weren’t shaking anymore. The nerves were still there, a tiny bit of fear nagging at the corner of your mind, but the more he spoke the more at ease you were. Yes, you knew why. You were passing on.

“Good. That makes this process much easier.” He rumbled, steepling his hands together in front of him and leaning forward on his elbows against the desktop. He looked serious, yet relaxed. It made sense. He was in his element, “You are dead. Usually, your soul would be sent to the afterlife. However...”

He stopped and looked you in the eyes, as if searching for something.

Usually? However?

You felt chilled inside as you thought about those words. Oh, no. No. It couldn’t be! Were you unable to pass on? Would you just… disappear? Or perhaps you would be sent to limbo.

You didn’t want to just... cease existing. Or be damned to nothingness. Both sounded equally horrifying!

“However, you do not have to take this route.” Grim interrupted your frantic, worried thoughts, “I will get straight to the point. If you had another chance at life, would you take it?”

What?

You were left befuddled at that, stammering out an incredulous, “What?” that mimicked your thoughts as you raised your brows at him. How articulate, you thought sarcastically to yourself. Way to go!

“I can give you another chance.” he repeated, and he was the picture of seriousness. You could tell he wasn’t joking. 

It really couldn’t get any clearer than that.

But… why would you be given another chance? Had he seen something in you? Something that you couldn’t see?

No, surely not. You had never been anything special.

You wanted to ask, but at the same time you felt nervous. The calmness that you felt when you heard him speak couldn’t be natural. He was a stranger. He was Death himself. You’d only met him moments ago. 

This being, for all you knew, could just be offering you life to humour himself. Like a sick game. What if he took it back? What if, by asking, you irritated him and he changed his mind? 

Of course, there very well could also be a catch if you took his offer, but you didn’t care. If you had another shot, you would take it. Consequences be damned, “You... would really do that? I... Of- of course I would take it! Who wouldn’t?”

Most wouldn’t part with an offer like that. You had so much of your life still ahead of you. You weren’t ready to die yet. Not even close.

Huh? What was that? 

When the words slipped past your lips, they felt weighted, like they held a lot of meaning and you couldn’t take them back. A promise, in other words. One you were physically incapable of breaking. You were tied down by them. It was… odd. Vaguely discomforting.

“Very well,” Grim reached out, pressing his skeletal hand over your chest. It startled you a little, the cold hardness of the bone, but you kept still. After a few seconds, you felt a weird pressure build there. Then, along your back, a strange sensation spread across your muscles like icy water running down your skin. Cold and unpleasant, but painless. When you blinked, you were no longer in the study and the pressure (along with the strange cold) had dissipated.

You were expecting to be home again, right before you left or something of the sort. You weren’t.

Around you was yet another unfamiliar room. You spared a glance, wary and confused, around yourself. Black and white checkered tile stretched underfoot and dark red brick, a little aged from what you could tell, made up the walls. The room was circular and windowless, but spacious. 

In the centre sat a round mahogany table, large and with a slick finish, a few papers scattered atop its surface. The only other furniture in the room was a gramophone set atop an end table (much like the one Grim had, off to the side, but this one was silent) and a single lounge chair perched directly in front of the table, crimson and fancy with its buttons and detailed design. Was it even comfortable to sit on? Old-fashioned lanterns - sconces, you believed - were spaced evenly around the room, jutting out from the wall. They cast everything in a dimly-lit glow, similarly to the study you’d just been in. 

It was pretty empty. There were no doors, along with its lack of windows. Where were you?

“ _You are in your_ **_Pause_ ** _room._ ” came the deep voice of Grim, and you startled. Your heart beat rapidly and you took a moment to gather your wits.

His voice hadn’t come from around you, oddly enough. It seemed to come from your head. It was a little disconcerting.

“Pause room?” you questioned, “I thought you were giving me a second chance? Why am I here?”

“ _This is your second chance._ ” he sounded a little amused, the edges of laughter colouring his voice before he cleared his throat, becoming instead fact-and-seriousness, “ _The_ **_Pause_ ** _room is essential to your new life. Here, you will have a brief respite from the world ahead and an opportunity to gather yourself should you need it. This is where you will make yourself anew, starting now._ ”

Wait- pardon?

“I’m not going back?” disappointment leaked into your words, no matter how you tried to sound nonchalant. This was far from what you thought he meant when he offered you another try.

“ _Of course not_ ,” Grim said, “ _There is no turning back. Your Soul was free from your body for far too long. All there is now is to continue forward._ ”

In front of you, a candle appeared on the table, lit and flickering softly. Its holder, you noticed, was also a bit old-fashioned. It had a little pan and handle.

“ _Step forward._ ” he instructed, and you did. You peered over the back of the chair and caught a glimpse of the papers strewn about, “ _You will need to write. Take a seat._ ”

Sitting down, an inkwell and a quill joined the papers (parchment, from the look of it), popping out of thin air. You really weren’t sure if you could get used to things just appearing like that. Not that you really had a choice with that.

You read what was written on the closest sheet as you pulled it in front of you. Oh. How odd. It was a form of some sort. When you looked more closely, it reminded you of character creation in games. The concept of a pause room alone reminded you of that.

You jotted down your name a little messily, unused to using such an old writing tool, ink staining your fingertips a little along the way and dripping onto the paper. Why not just use something more modern? Maybe Grim was an old-fashioned kind of guy- that was an amusing thought. The style was cool. Not too efficient though. Kind of bothersome even.

“ _No need to fret. This is only temporary. Once you’ve been sent off, I will be… upgrading… the_ **_Pause_ ** _room._ ” So Grim could read your thoughts- that was more than a little unsettling, “ _Rest assured, I can only glimpse surface thoughts. They are not always clear._ ”

You relaxed a little at that and all was silent for a few minutes more but for the scratching of your quill on parchment. It was actually, dare you say, comfortable sitting there like that. Even with the thought that Grim could hear at least some of your thoughts.

You were starting to enjoy it there (and his voice- he made you a little less lonely), and you were confused by that. You weren't alive right now, technically. And you were around The Grim Reaper. How were you comfortable?

But...

Maybe Grim wasn’t so bad. Even if he was Death. He seemed to respect your privacy at least.

Still. It was odd. You usually didn't warm up to people that quickly and earlier he had been so scary! But then he'd talked... and the fear just... melted away.

When you got to the section on appearance, an ornate silver hand mirror conveniently materialized. You sucked in a breath when you glanced into it only to see a blank reflection. Oh, shit- you couldn’t see yourself clearly. Should’ve seen that one coming, with how everything else had been going.

It was weird, looking at yourself like that. You were a colourless blur. This really was like some kind of character creation. You were starting with a blank slate.

Carefully, you started to fill in the details and you watched as you filled in to match in your reflection. You kept everything as close to your old self as possible. You don’t think you would feel right if you looked completely different. You would feel too much like a stranger, especially each time you caught sight of yourself. Okay, done. Now to start on the rest.

 _Pick a **Soul** trait _, it read. Below was a list.

_Determination (+2 Agility)_

_Patience (+2 Intelligence)_

_Bravery (+2 Strength)_

_Integrity (+2 Perception)_

_Perseverance (+2 Endurance)_

_Kindness (+2 Charisma)_

_Justice (+2 Luck)_

And below that:

 _You’re **S.P.E.C.I.A.L**! You have _ _40_ _points. Use them wisely._

_Strength (0-10): Your physical capabilities! Beat up anyone who stands in your way. ___ _

_Perception (0-10): Detection! Are you being lied to? Is someone sneaking around nearby? ___ _

_Endurance (0-10): You can handle anything! For when you have to run a lap, withstand attacks, or deal with pesky poison. ___ _

_Charisma (0-10): Your natural charm! People love you! ___ _

_Intelligence (0-10): Smarts. Puzzle-solving and comprehension. Do you understand what that book says? Can you understand what someone means? Can you solve that problem? ___ _

_Agility (0-10): You’re fast on your feet and smooth as butter! You can sneak, run, or dodge your way out of tricky situations. You’re like a gymnast! ___ _

_Luck (0-10): You’re in Lady Luck’s favour! Good things are sure to come. ___ _

You really didn’t like to fight, so you decided to focus more on what you wanted. You were lonely before, but you could change that with your fresh start! You circled the Kindness Soul, then filled out the… stats? You had no clue what else to call them. You didn’t want to think of your new life as a game (that seemed a bit callous), but it was hard not to think of it that way with the stuff laid out in front of you.

You saw some of the numbers beside the stats shimmer and change, and what appeared to be titles bled onto the page with them, reflecting your changes. Whoa. You didn’t know it could do that!

 _Strength (2-10, “Beached Jellyfish”): Your physical capabilities! Beat up anyone who stands in your way._ **_2_ **

_Perception (6-10, “Alert Coyote”): Detection! Are you being lied to? Is someone sneaking around nearby?_ **_6_ **

_Endurance (6-10, “Hardy”): You can handle anything! For when you have to run a lap, withstand attacks, or deal with pesky poison._ **_6_ **

_Charisma (8+2-10, “Cult Leader”): Your natural charm! People love you!_ ** _8_** _(+2 Soul bonus)_

 _Intelligence (7-10, “Smartypants”): Smarts. Puzzle-solving and comprehension. Do you understand what that book says? Can you understand what someone means? Can you solve that problem?_ **_7_ **

_Agility (4-10, “Butterfingers”): You’re fast on your feet and smooth as butter! You can sneak, run, or dodge your way out of tricky situations. You’re like a gymnast!_ **_4_ **

_Luck (7-10, “Lucky 7”): You’re in Lady Luck’s favour! Good things are sure to come._ **_7_ **

You were satisfied with your Charisma and you were overall happy with the rest of your choices. Everything seemed mostly balanced (apart from Strength, but you wouldn’t go around picking fights anyway). After all, you deserved to indulge a little. You wanted to be happy.

You looked down at the finished parchments, “Now what?”

“ _Now… the beginning._ ” Grim rumbled, and everything went dark.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We'll Meet Again by The Inkspots:
> 
> <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9owz_fa5Bc4>
> 
> Also, I'm sure some of you noticed I used Fallout's SPECIAL system! I used Fallout: New Vegas' more specifically, for the titles next to the stats. I thought it would be a neat addition :)


	2. Dinnertime

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After learning a little bit more about the way of the world, it's finally time for dinner!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Time for a fresh start!

** Chapter Two: Dinnertime **

Groaning, you blinked awake, oddly sore. What? What happened? Where in the hell- It all hit you only a few seconds later. Oh. Yeah. That. You were slumped uncomfortably against a rough brick wall (which was probably why you were sore, honestly), sitting on damp concrete. Rain drizzled above, cold droplets soaking into your clothes. You sat up and took in your surroundings a little better.

You were in an alleyway - who knows where - and it was dark out, the only source of light coming from the entryway ahead; lamplight from the street no doubt. The chill in the air left you shivering in the breeze, lamenting that the wet only served to worsen your circumstances, and that your arms were bare. Apparently it wasn’t the right weather for your short-sleeved tee. You would need to find a jacket soon. Somehow. You didn’t exactly have money right now, you reminded yourself. Hopefully you wouldn’t catch a cold before you could scrape together some sort of solution.

You shifted your weight a little to the side to ease the pain in your left hip and your leg brushed up against something, making you jolt and let out a short squeak. When you whipped your head down to catch a glimpse of what exactly you had rubbed against, you let out a little sigh of relief. Oh, it was just your backpack.

You didn’t know what you had expected it to be. Not your backpack though. You honestly hadn’t thought that it would come with you, since the last you’d seen it was on the bus, moments before your death. A shiver shuddered up your spine and you immediately backtracked from that line of thought. Nope, you weren’t going to open that can of worms yet. It probably wasn’t the healthiest to just ignore it, but you had other matters to attend to that were far more urgent. Your survival hung in the balance. You needed food, water, somewhere to sleep, a source of income- hell, a whole slew of things. 

Out of the top of your backpack, poking out of a small gap where the zipper hadn’t been fully closed, a small scrap of parchment grabbed your attention. You didn’t have any parchment, but you knew who did. You pulled it out and saw that the words written on it were in fluid, neat cursive. The handwriting was pretty, dare you say, and a small hint of a smile pulled at the corners of your lips. Who would’ve thought Death would have pretty handwriting?

_Young one,_

_I presumed you would like a gift of sorts, to prepare you for the coming days. It was not difficult to fetch, fortunately. Use it well._

_-_ **_Grim_ **

It would appear he had heard your name for him in your thoughts at some point in the short time you’d known one another. It was a little endearing that he decided to go by it. Even more endearing that he had gone through the effort to save what little you had of your old life, even if he said it didn't take much for him to do.

You’d thank him next time you saw him. You were half tempted to give him a bear hug along with it, but you didn’t know how he would take to that. Well… you would decide when the time came. You weren’t one hundred percent sure you would see him again so soon, since not much time had passed since he sent you on your way, but you doubted he would be gone forever.

He made the Pause room, surely he would be there occasionally? At least, you hoped he would. He was good company, now that you’d gotten a bit used to him the more everything sank in. You supposed having someone in your mind would do that (though, you reminded yourself, you shouldn't feel that way- he was still a stranger! he'd been in your mind! your mind! How were you growing fond of him? And so fast, too- ah, you know what? fuck it! he seemed nice enough).

In your hands, the note caught fire and you yelped loudly, throwing it down. Belatedly you noticed that no heat came off of it and it hadn’t burned your skin before you released it. It should have, since the flames had engulfed the paper far too quickly for you to take heed and let go before damage would have been wrought. Awe lightened your previous panic, before chasing it away entirely, as you watched it drift in the air. The hazy light of the not-flame was almost fluffy as it went and you couldn’t help but stare. The way it moved in the wind reminded you of the soft downy of feathers. 

The scrap was gone before it reached the ground, sweeping ash in the wind before that too puffed away into nothing, shimmering like gold. It was like stardust. Then it was gone completely. Oddly beautiful for something that was being destroyed. Magic, perhaps? All you could be certain of was that it wasn’t regular fire- that was for damn sure! So… yeah, magic. Death’s, more precisely. Whoa.

He was the one who put you here and he was the one who had been materializing stuff out of nothing, so you really shouldn’t feel as surprised as you did. Of course he had magic. This kind was just more flashy than the kind he’d exhibited before. It must have been some sort of security measure to avoid anyone finding the note - written from Death himself - with you (did that mean people could tell what came from Death?). He could have warned you though. That would have been nice. It was entertaining, you’d admit, but damn did it catch you off guard!

You pushed yourself off of the ground, slinging your backpack up over your shoulder as you stood. Okay, enough messing around. Time to put a plan together. You would need to figure out where you were and where to go from there. You were very lost and very much wanted some sort of direction. You were actually more motivated than you usually were!

Hm… but first. You swung your backpack back in front of you, setting it down on the ground for a moment as you unzipped it and dug around for your jacket. As you pulled the fabric free, you noticed a nondescript black, leather-bound book sitting innocently at the bottom of your bag, entirely inconspicuous but drawing your eye nonetheless.

You were so going to hug Grim when you saw him.

It had almost slipped your mind that you had a little more to work with now than you thought you would have - that being nothing - so having your stuff back (mainly your jacket, in this moment) and a little bonus added in was an amazing surprise. You hoped the book was as useful as your gut was telling you. You should find someplace to peruse it. Maybe a restaurant? Yeah, that sounded nice. It would definitely be better than this alley. Warmer, too. Cold and wet as you were, you were glad for the cover of your jacket as you slipped into it, eager to get moving now that you had one problem solved and a clear goal in mind. You were finally ready to move out of there. Time to get this party started! 

You had a bit of a skip to your step as you made your way past the entryway of the alley and out onto a mostly empty street. Lamp posts dotted the sidewalks, stretching out into the distance, bright and merry in the dark of the night.

A quick glance at a nearby road sign confirmed you were on Main St. From the shops on both sides of the street, mushed together but charming, it looked like you were in a downtown area in a cozy little town. You would have to find out exactly what town soon. There were a few stranglers wandering the sidewalks at the late hours, some staggering as if drunk and some appearing to be heading home after a long day of work, but none of them seemed to notice you. All for the better; you weren’t quite ready to talk to anyone, Charisma or not.

You passed a quaint barbershop, a cafe, and an antique shop (Grim would love that) before you finally found somewhere you were comfortable enough to take your break. Nestled between a brightly coloured flower shop on one side and a bookshop on the other, the brick facade of the cozy little bar and grill caught your eye, bright LEDs above it proclaiming it to be Grillby’s. Warm, orange light cast out onto the street from its windows. Perfect! It seemed comfortable enough for a short stay (or a long one, really).

Ah, but… you paused and frowned up at the name. Looking at the restaurant brought a twinge of familiarity, a creeping sense of deja vu that nagged at you. Why did it seem so familiar? You knew you’d never been to a restaurant like that before. Hmm. You shrugged it off and pushed through the doors. The reason would come to you eventually.

With a sigh, you frowned. Wait a minute... shit! You should get a seat off in the corner, somewhere you wouldn’t be noticed quickly. You had forgotten, in your haste and excitement, that you had no money. It made you feel a little guilty that you were going to be wasting the employees’ time here just because you wanted somewhere good to sit down, so you hoped it would take a while for them to get to you.

Worst case scenario for you is that once they knew you weren’t a paying customer, they would toss you out. You really could have just stayed in that alley. You didn’t need the extra comfort. The only thing that made you feel a little better about this was the fact that it wasn’t bustling with business like you had expected. It became evident why that was fairly quickly. Shock jolted in your chest and you couldn’t help the tiniest bit of fear from rising. You stomped that out as quickly as you could (there weren’t any threats to you here, from what little you could gather). What in the- there were-? There were… creatures, here? Your eyes trailed after a bipedal rabbit as they walked past you to the door, pausing to shoot a bewildered glance your way at your staring, before you averted your eyes. Shocked as you were, you really needed to stop being so rude.

You gave the bar a once-over and saw that there were other people like you here - humans - just not too many. The creatures were the majority here. Even the barkeep was one- he looked like he was completely made of fire! You hadn’t seen any of them out on the streets, most likely out of pure chance. You stood out in here, that much was obvious from the look around. Not exactly good. 

You quickly made your way over to a booth in the back corner of the bar, distinctly aware of a few pairs of wary eyes watching you as you went, heaving your backpack into the empty booth before you slid in yourself, plopping down with a sigh. Anxiety swirled in your gut uncomfortably, but you tried to ignore it as you opened your backpack and reached inside, pulling the book you’d gotten from Grim free.

When you opened it, there was another message penned for you in the cover.

_Young one,_

_If you wish to have any semblance of balance or peace here, you must educate yourself._

_-_ **_Grim_ **

Grim’s handwriting continued through to the start of the book, you found, as you read. He wrote the entire thing by hand? How kind of him. Ah, you supposed it could have been magic though, too, but you would not believe so until proven otherwise. You didn’t want his efforts to go unappreciated. You sat there, entirely alone, for quite some time thankfully. Maybe that was the effect of your Luck stat? That would be quite nice. You weren’t too used to having good luck. Until Grim showed, that was.

The book, surprisingly, started off with something that seemed straight out of a storybook.

 _Long ago, two races ruled over Earth: Humans and Monsters…_ Oh! The creatures here were called Monsters then? You could think of no other reason why this would be included. Unfortunately, the little tale was short and ended rather disappointingly. _They sealed the monsters Underground with a magic spell._

They were set free somehow, if the story held any fact. Your curiosity was piqued. Rather than continue down that line though, the book went into the technical aspects of things for yourself. You couldn’t muster up any bitterness about that, even though you were a bit let down that the story stopped there. You were reading this as a necessity, not for fun.

 _For you, this world will take some getting used to. Luckily, you have my guidance. There are a few things you must be made aware of straight away as it is imperative to your continued survival. You will have a sort of pseudo-magic. It will be invisible to the eye of others and will act as your Guide. It will appear in the form of Quests, Markers, the Map, and most importantly the_ **_Pause_ ** _room. You are already aware of the_ **_Pause_ ** _room, but I will reaffirm what you are already aware. It is a Sanctuary amidst everything. There, you will be able to see and update your Stats and your Perks. You will be able to access your Inventory and thus your Items. You will be given information that would be otherwise inaccessible, such as Profiles and Background Information. Be aware though that some of it will not be readily available until a certain point. You will know more about each of these tools more specifically when you get there. The Quests are straightforward. They will offer you direction and will help shape your goals. The Markers will assist you in your Quests, leading you on the right path. The Map will give you a lay of the land, so to speak. It is a simple map, not very detailed, but it will be useful. All you need to do to use any one of these is to put as much_ **_will_ ** _as you can into your thoughts. You must_ **_will_ ** _them into existence. From there, they will come to you quite easily, though some will still require your_ **_will_ ** _to take you where you need, like the_ **_Pause_ ** _room. You must really want what you are thinking._

Written in the bottom margins of that page: _Best of luck, Young one._

Time to give the Pause room a try then. Now was as good a time as any, since there was no one who had approached you yet. You concentrated hard and put as much will as you could into your thoughts: _Pause_ . _Pause. C’mon, pause!_

It felt a little silly doing that, but you felt a tingling grow strong in your chest, spreading outward, before a lurch there took hold. Everyone around you - or everything, more aptly, as the rain outside seemed to halt, too - froze. Words sprung up in front of your eyes ( _Pause_ ), before darkness crept up your vision, engulfing everything in a pitch black. You had done it! Giddiness made you want to laugh. You had done magic (well, pseudo-magic, Grim had said, but still)! It worked! One minute of dizzy nausea later and you were standing, albeit swaying in place, near the table in the Pause room. Spots danced in your vision and you winced. Oh, god. That was not a pleasant experience at all! You hoped it wouldn’t be so bad the next time you did it.

Instead of the scattered parchment papers you remembered from last time, there was now a flat screen TV on top of the centre table. Quite the difference. You couldn’t see Grim using something like this after you’d seen his default of quills and ink and gramophones. It flickered to life as you approached it. 

With a chime, text popped up across its screen:

 **Welcome, Player!** **Please select an option.**

**Your Profile**

**-Status**

**-Karma**

**-Stats and Perks**

**-Inventory**

**-Active Quests**

**Other**

**-Background Information**

**-Profiles**

You reached towards the screen and tapped on Status.

**Kindness Soul (+2 Charisma)**

**HP: 20/20**

**MP: N/A** **... ERROR! [REDACTED]**

**No current Status effects!**

Okay, that looked pretty good. You were healthy. Though the MP was a little strange. Was it because of the pseudo-magic? You supposed that meant you technically had and didn’t have magic at the same time. Schrödinger's cat, in a sense. You’d go through the list in order, you supposed. So Karma next.

**The measure of your reputation.**

**-Neutral, “Absolute Zero”**

Not much to see yet. You hadn’t been around for very long, so it would change eventually.

**Stats**

S. **2**

P. **6**

E. **6**

C. **8 (+2, Soul bonus)**

I. **7**

A. **4**

L. **7**

**Perks**

**-Mark of the Fallen Angel (You’ve been Marked by Death): Grants you access to Death’s Domain and help from The Guide.**

Death’s Domain? That had to be the Pause room. So you supposed that made The Guide the pseudo-magic Grim mentioned. Quests, Markers, and whatnot. Neat. You wondered if it was a literal mark or a figurative one. You didn’t want to have to explain that away if it was visible.

**Inventory**

**-User’s Guide: A book gifted to you from Death to help you get your bearings. Black leather and simple.**

A thud broke your attention on the screen and you looked up to see an old chest against the wall that hadn’t been there before. That had to be your Inventory here. You guess opening it on the screen triggered its appearance. Your backpack was your Inventory when you were in the regular world, if the book in the inventory was any indication. You stepped away from the table and made your way over to the chest, unclasping the hinge and lifting its top.

Sure enough, the book was at the bottom of its otherwise empty space. You’d have to test it out some more later to see if anything you put in it here could be transferred to your bag and vice versa.

You let the lid fall back down with a little thump and made your way back over to the screen. Where were you? Oh, yeah- Quests. They were disappointingly empty, so you went to Background Information instead. That turned out to be kind of a bust, too. It was the snippet you’d read from the book, nothing more. Hopefully it would update as you went. You were curious to hear what happened after the spell was cast.

**Profiles**

**-Death (Grim)**

You selected him and up popped a Profile similar to yours.

**Death (Grim)**

**[Redacted] Soul (+Redacted)**

**HP: ∞/∞**

**MP: ∞/∞**

**He’s curious to see what you will do next. You’re an interesting mortal- to hardly be fazed by his appearance. Most stay afraid. Odd.**

That was… curious. You wanted to know what his Soul type was, but asking might be too private. It’s his Soul after all. Hmm. The rest isn’t as surprising, you knew he would be strong as he _is_ Death incarnate, but you hadn’t expected a glimpse into his thoughts. You wondered if that was similar to what he heard before when he was in your head. He had said that it wasn’t clear- just surface thoughts. This seemed much like that.

Finished with exploring the Pause room, you attempted to go back. _Unpause, please._ It was much easier this time than the last and you felt that sickening feeling take hold. You blinked and you were back in Grillby’s, the world around you coming back to life. **Unpause** flickered in front of you and then disappeared.

Groaning, you clutched at your stomach. It would be much appreciated if you didn’t feel like throwing up every single time you needed to access or leave the Pause room, but you supposed that there had to be a drawback to all of the stuff going right for you eventually. You sat absolutely still for a moment until the nausea passed. You got what you came here for, so you should really go before you inconvenienced the staff.

As you stood up from the booth, your backpack pulled up over one of your shoulders, words blipped into existence in front of you, slightly transparent and floating merrily in the air. **_Quest Start!_** , they proclaimed.

They definitely gave you a scare in the process - damn it! - but you managed to keep from reacting too noticeably, only stumbling a bit before you righted yourself. A little embarrassing, enough eyes were on you as it was, but you would live. 

You squinted at the words accusingly before you started on your way towards the door. Things really needed to stop showing up out of thin air so suddenly.

You were going to get a heart attack one of these days!

At least you were (mostly) prepared for it. A light green glow emanated from the words that floated in front of you as you walked, and it struck you that they reminded you of something.

Ah! That was it! The words kind of reminded you of opening an option box in VR. Except it seemed more… tangible. And there was no box around them. They were from The Guide, no doubt. Maybe the Quests popped up at a certain time or location? You would have to ask Grim the next time you saw him. _If_ you saw him. You didn’t know if you would ever see him again (though you hoped so, you quite enjoyed his company- for whatever reason. shit, you need to stop that! he was a _stranger_ ).

For all you knew he preferred to just pop in your head and then leave, since you’d only seen him once, in his study right after you’d woken up from death. Ah- but he _was_ Death. He was probably a very busy guy.

**_“A Lovely Way to Spend an Evening”_ **

**_I’ve just finished at Grillby’s and I feel confident enough to start moving again. But where to? I need someplace to sleep. Someplace safe._ **

**_-Find a safe place to sleep! Who knows, maybe you can find someone who will lend a hand?_ **

That was a little off putting, but you supposed it made sense that The Guide was omniscient. How else could it guide you properly, without knowing a lot? Pushing out into the chill of the outside air, you took a deep breath. You could do this. You could and you would. When you blinked, the Quest text was gone. In its place was an arrow, up high in the air and off in the distance. It, like the text, was a light green. Oh! A Marker, already. How lucky. You set off in its direction with pep in your step, smiling wide to yourself. See? You could definitely do this!

In your peripherals, you saw someone bump into a woman. She fell, a couple bags tumbling from her hands, and your happy smile quickly turned down at the edges. How rude! You made your way over to her without hesitance and started gathering the items that fell free. Up above, the previous Marker poofed away. In its stead came another, directly above her. 

She smiled at you kindly, “Oh! Thank you! You didn’t have to go to the trouble-”

“No, no. It’s okay! It doesn’t take much time or effort to pick up a few things.” you gave a tentative smile back, nervous but assuring. You realized too late that you interrupted her in your haste to let her know it wasn’t a bother. Damn it, “Ah- sorry, I didn’t mean to cut you off!”

“I don’t mind.” she put down her bag where she was crouched and reached out a hand to you, “I’m Adelaide! Nice to meet you.”

You clasped her hand in yours and gave it a shake, introducing yourself. Wow- besides the rocky start, you weren’t doing too bad with this! “Nice to meet you, too, Adelaide. Do you need any help carrying any of this? I have the time to spare.”

You had _too_ much time to spare, honestly. No job, no home, nothing. Might as well help. You had a little extra incentive when you noticed how the Marker was now focused on her, curious as you were. 

“Are you sure?” Adelaide hoisted one of the bags up into her free hand and you pulled her to her feet. You nodded. She seemed to beam at you for that.

Adelaide was pretty, you noticed, especially when she smiled. Her hair was cropped just above her shoulders, light brown and curly, and she stood a little taller than you. Average by beauty standards (though those tended to be quite ridiculous, in your opinion), her eyes seemed warm as she looked at you. They were a sort of mocha colour and held a genuine kindness- friendly even to a stranger. Even without the change in Markers, you don’t think you could have said no to someone who seemed so nice.

You stooped down and picked up the rest of the bags. For a while, you both walked in silence, the shops disappearing behind you as you went. It was peaceful.

You saw the Quest pop up again.

**_“A Lovely Way to Spend an Evening”_ **

**_I’ve just finished at Grillby’s and I feel confident enough to start moving again. But where to? I need someplace to sleep. Someplace safe._ **

**_-_ ** **_Find a safe place to sleep! Who knows, maybe you can find someone who will lend a hand?_ **

**_-Help Adelaide. Good breeds good in return!_ **

When you made it a ways away, down a small street with only a few houses, you spoke up.

“So what brings you out so late at night?” you asked.

“I wanted to cook for my tenants! We eat a little late, so we can all eat together.” she chirped, “They’ve been cooking the past few nights and I wanted to give them a break.”

You hummed, “What are you cooking?”

“Chilli! Since it’s so chilly outside.” she said and threw a wink your way. 

You let out a startled laugh before you both settled back into a comfortable silence. It didn’t take much longer, maybe a few more minutes, before she came to a halt. You stopped beside her, looking in the direction she nodded her head.

“Here we are!” She said as you looked up at a tall brick house, a wrought iron fence surrounding it. It looked sort of like one of those Georgian style houses, made of red brick and a decent amount of windows, and looked quite nice.

In front of it stood a sign, just outside of the fencing. **Stormcrest Apartments** , it read. So not just a house, as it appeared from its front, but a communal apartment building. Something nagged at you, but you pushed it aside, instead focusing on moving forward again. It may seem familiar, but there were so many apartments and places that shared the same names. Whatever it reminded you of was a coincidence (whatever it was that it reminded you of, that is).

Adelaide bumped the gate with her hip and it sprung open. When you made it to the front door, she fumbled in her pockets with one hand, precariously balancing the groceries, and pulled out her keys, “Thanks again for helping me.”

“You’re welcome,” you shuffled in place, watching as she unlocked the door with a click and pushed it open, “Did you want me to set it down on the porch or…”

“Um… actually,” for a moment she looked unsure, pausing in hesitation before she continued, “Would… uh, would you like to join us for dinner?”

“I, um, I wouldn’t be intruding would I?” you looked away, chewing on your lip as you, too, grew nervous. Normally, you would have declined straight away. New people and places weren’t the best for you. You didn’t like to be a bother either. But…

You didn’t know when you would be able to get food and you were hungry. You couldn’t turn down the offer of it. Not with how uncertain your future was at the moment. Hopefully this didn’t turn out to be a stupid decision.

“No, of course not!” Adelaide said, turning to you fully, “You helped me out when you didn’t have to, it’s only fair to give something back!”

“Then…” you gave what you hoped was a convincingly enough smile, crossing your fingers that your nerves wouldn’t show through, “I would love to.”

“Great! C’mon in then!” Adelaide led the way in and to the kitchen. No one was down there to greet you and you felt yourself relax a bit, setting down the bags of groceries you held next to the one she had set down.

As she put the food away, she called out to you over her shoulder, “You can take a seat at the dining table if you want. It might be more comfortable than standing.”

So you left her in the kitchen, took a seat, and waited. Adelaide came by to set dishes down at the seats after a minute of waiting, then she was off again into the kitchen. The smell and sound of cooking food eventually mingled together as you sat there and your stomach grumbled. 

You let yourself get lost in your thoughts.

“Dinner’s ready!” Adelaide shouted, startling you from the daydream you’d fallen into. You heard footsteps above you making their way down and tensed in anticipation. Now for the hard part: more new people. You stared down at the wood of the table and fidgeted. Don’t screw this up. You can do this. You did just fine with Adelaide!

You startled as a voice sounded in a chair across from you, deep (though not nearly as deep as Grim’s), “who are you?” 

When did they get there?! Way to put you on the spot!

Thankfully, Adelaide took that moment to come in from the kitchen, carrying a pot of chilli with her, which she set down in the centre of the table as she spoke to whoever was across from you, "Oh, I didn't know you were down yet! Hey, Sans!”

You could’ve cried, you were so relieved. She was a life saver- huh? Wait a minute. Who?

She quickly introduced you to him and you nearly gaped once you mustered the courage to look up, your brain nearly short circuiting from the confusion of it all. And it just so happened a few of the others finally arrived right then, too. Great. Fantastic. You could put two and two together.

Oh, my God! You… you couldn’t believe it took you that long to realize! _Stormcrest Apartments, a kindly protagonist with short brown hair and brown eyes, game mechanics, Grillby’s, Sans…_ it all made sense now. What the fuck? 

Across the table from you, sure enough, was a skeleton - Sans - wearing a blue hoodie, a lazy grin plastered across his face. He didn’t say anything and seemed to be sizing you up. He looked wary. Was that why he was so quiet?

A few more skeletons blipped into the dining room chairs in the few seconds that you stared back at him, and when they took note of you they stopped and stared. The skeletons that had just arrived a moment before them stood still, staring, too. Everyone just… stared. You looked at each one of them and stared back.

They were sizing you up, just like Sans. All of them. Some of them looked hostile, some looked very nervous (of you or of breaking the tentative silence? You couldn't tell).

With that little staring contest going on, you realized that something felt… _off_ … about them. They were very obviously skeletons, but at the same time they didn't look enough like the kind of skeletons you were familiar with. Maybe because they were skeleton monsters, not actually skeletons? The closest thing you could describe this feeling to was Uncanny Valley, but that usually applied to… well… humans. Not skeletons. Grim fit the look of an actual skeleton better, but hey- on the bright side, you weren’t as freaked out as you would’ve been otherwise. You had already grown accustomed to Grim (somehow), and with the uncanny-skeleton-look added in, it was a lot easier to get used to all of them.

“Um… nice to meet you,” you said, trying for a smile again. It hadn't really been that long since they showed up, but you were starting to get a little afraid the more they kept it up. Oh, please work.

Surprisingly enough, the quiet broke. Everyone mostly seemed to ignore you as they made their way to their seats (if they weren’t already in them, that is), deeming you unimportant you supposed, as they talked amongst themselves. You got a few glances from the nicer of the bunch, a few glares from others, like someone might say something to you, but no one stepped forward.

You still felt a strange buzz of shock. You were in your favourite dating sim. Which meant it was dangerous here. Which meant you had to be extra careful. It was probably best that they had all mostly been so dismissive of you. You felt a little twinge in your chest as you thought of the path ahead for Adelaide. You couldn’t do anything for her though. You needed to get out of here and fast. You didn't want to die again. Once was enough.

**_“A Lovely Way to Spend an Evening”_ **

**_I’ve just finished at Grillby’s and I feel confident enough to start moving again. But where to? I need someplace to sleep. Someplace safe._ **

**_-_ ** **_Find a safe place to sleep! Who knows, maybe you can find someone who will lend a hand?_ **

**_-Help Adelaide. Good breeds good in return! (_ ** **_Completed!_ ** **_)_ **

**_-Find a way to stay the night! You still need someplace to sleep!_ **

Oh, hell no! The Guide had to be faulty if it was suggesting that! You couldn’t- 

“It is nice to meet you, new human!” an excited voice spoke from beside you. You turned in your chair and saw a skeleton similar to Sans in structure, sitting in the seat next to yours. But aside from that cursory familiarity, he was completely different from Sans. A ball of energy and positivity. Stars twinkled in his eye sockets, “I am the Magnificent Blue!”

***You need a moment to yourself! Excuse yourself.**

***Respond politely.**

***Ignore him.**

↢⟲↣

Someone is being rude, Reader should:

-A: Be rude back 

-B: Ignore it 

-C: Be kind 

After dinner, Reader should:

-A: Implore Adelaide to let them stay at the Apartments ( **8** Charisma required)

-B: Leave and find some other place to sleep.

Reader should get a job at:

-A: Grillby’s

-B: The bookstore

-C: The flowershop

-D: The antique shop

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!! :) Let me know your choices in the comments!
> 
> Some info on the house if you’re interested:
> 
> Named Stormcrest Apartments, it resides in the town of Ebott.
> 
> The communal apartment looks like a combo of [this](https://cdn.homedit.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Georgian-Style-Homes-Brick-facade.jpg) and [this](https://i.pinimg.com/736x/5f/36/ec/5f36ecb090074e690f8c0bdb9f26ae05.jpg), except there are three main floors + an attic floor/room. The basement has a little sitting area and two rooms.
> 
> It’s a home in the town that’s been renovated a bit to act like an apartment building. The first floor’s layout looks a lot like [this](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/5d/45/9c/5d459c7291adb21c5f49887f6b51d79f.gif), except the original office area isn’t there at all or the music room, coat area, etc; the shape of the home is completely square. Instead of the second dining area across from the sitting room, the office is there instead. 
> 
> The first floor is the shared space between everyone. The second floor is a hall with bedrooms on both walls and stairs leading to the third and final floor at the end of its hall. The third floor is like the second but sans the stairs. Instead, there’s a hatch + ladder leading to the attic.
> 
> The sitting room (across from the office) was converted into a shared bedroom for Adelaide and Eulalia (the dating sim's Antagonist).
> 
> There are four rooms on both sides of the hall for the second and third floors, making a total of eight rooms for each floor (16 all-in-all, excluding the two in the basement).


	3. Bedtime

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time for Reader to find a place to sleep!

**Chapter Three: Bedtime**

Blue gave you a great big smile and you couldn’t help yourself. You caved, regardless of the dangers of getting acquainted with any of these monsters. He didn’t deserve harsh treatment by association. It’s not like he chose for anyone to act rudely towards you and he certainly didn’t choose his family. Blue didn’t know any of them would end up being as cruel as you knew they would be (because eventually they would. It wasn’t a matter of  _ if _ , but of  _ when _ ), so he wouldn’t understand your need to distance yourself. It made you feel weird that you knew the behaviours of some of his family members better than he did. You didn’t want to hurt his feelings and with the way things were you couldn’t anyway. You had to be careful with how you acted while you were here, since offending anyone in any sense would put you at risk.

Risk, because there was no way this was a Mercy game. Judging by the lack of the game’s antag - Eulalia - you were in a Determination playthrough. 

You knew the skeletons in a sense, so maybe that could help you, but here  _ you _ were a complete stranger to them and that put you in a bad place. So what did the little you knew matter? You weren’t the protagonist. Hell, you weren’t even the antagonist! You were an unfamiliar variable. You could tread on someone’s toes if you acted too familiar. 

Good thing there weren’t any worries when it came to Blue. He was a genuinely good monster, you already knew that from the game. He was one hundred percent trustworthy. So it wasn’t hard to pick from the options floating in front of you. Not that you could pick anything else if you wanted. Aain, too risky. You hoped it wasn’t obvious that you were looking at the text and not at him as you picked from the choices. You didn’t want to know what would happen if anyone found out about you and what you could do.

***You need a moment to yourself! Excuse yourself.**

**> *Respond politely.**

***Ignore him.**

A second or two of almost awkward silence passed before you started to wonder how exactly this was going to work. The options were like a guideline, right? So did you just… start talking? You opened your mouth and a chill danced across your skin as the words came without you having to do anything, slipping out past your lips without your consent, your lips curving into a soft smile as they did, “You have a lovely name, Blue! It suits you!”

Then your hand raised itself into a thumbs up. You were tense. Utterly uncomfortable with the lack of control of your own body and at the words that weren’t really your own. Thankfully, whatever that had been quickly fled you, and relief settled in its place as you felt like yourself again. At least it had indeed been something polite you’d said. You wiggled your toes in cautious scrutiny. Sure enough, you were able to wiggle them just fine. No damage, no weird body-snatcher experiences, so it was all good now.

“That is very kind of you, human! You, too, have a lovely name. I can feel it in my bones! Um… would you mind telling me it?” Blue looked just a teeny bit bashful as he asked that, “It won’t do to not know my new friend’s name!”

He looked at you intently, a nervous smile set firmly in place. Like he was worried you’d reject him. How could you? Despite his family either having a dismissive attitude or apparent dislike of you, he talked to you anyway! Maybe their behaviour was the reason why he thought he would be rejected? Speaking of, you could see a few of them looking at the two of you, disapproval heavy in their gazes. Well… fuck them! You could just... avoid them and be friends with Blue and Adelaide! Yeah! That way you can avoid dying and make the friends you so desperately wanted to.

After all, your heart nearly melted at the positivity aimed at you. Sweetness and a joke wrapped up all-in-one? And he wanted to be your friend? For real? So, of course, you caved in.  _ Again _ . The joke he’d made was probably unintentional, regardless that you enjoyed it, so you held back your laughter and smiled again instead, and then told him your name.

You were rewarded with a happy look from Blue, his previous nerves all but forgotten, “I knew it! You do indeed have a great name! Befitting of someone who will be a fantastic friend, of course!”

Someone scoffed and you turned to look at the source of the scorn. Red and black attire, sharp teeth, and the whole nine yards. He had a golden tooth, hard to miss with the wide sneer, and looked at you with a sharp gaze. Oh, he was definitely not happy to see you! This skeleton was stout compared to some of the others gathered at the table, but by no means short (all of the monsters you’d seen here and at the bar were massive!). You weren’t going to lie- you were a little intimidated. He could probably snap you in half with a flick of his wrist if he really wanted to, and it definitely looked like he wanted to. You knew from that single glance who this was. Red. Which was unsurprising, considering his aesthetic. Even his eyelights were red. It reminded you of blood. Fitting, considering you viewed him like a shark drawn to it, narrowed in on a perceived weakness and ready - ever eager - to have more damage wrought with those sharp teeth of his. That weakness just so happened to be you, unfortunately.

“befitting? yeah… sure.” he laughed, a harsh bark of a sound. The sarcasm was laid on thick.

You were actually a little relieved for the options that popped up in front of you for a second time, struggling to maintain the smile still on your lips. It probably looked a little strained, but there wasn’t much you could do about that. The less you had to put your acting into practice the better. You weren’t sure you could be convincing enough showing anything besides your honest feelings. And honestly his words stung - even if they seemed a little immature to you (who picks on someone they just met over their  _ name  _ of all things?) - but you knew letting that show would be your downfall. You couldn’t seem weak, whether you perceived it as weak or not. He was just trying to goad you into misstepping by insulting you anyway.

Enough of that though- you had to be careful with what you picked from the dialogue. And wasn’t that just great! Most of the options looked like a death sentence!

***Be rude back**

***Ignore it**

***Be kind**

The moment you made a mistake, you would be in trouble, even if it wasn’t immediate danger. Being rude and ignoring him would both be considered as such. He would hold it against you and if you ever ran into him again (because, as much as you didn’t like the thought, that was possible while you were still in this town), he would have a reason to pounce. Backup wouldn’t be too far away for him should he need it either with his magic, so fleeing at that point would be nigh impossible if not  _ completely _ so. Your pause room wouldn’t save you in that circumstance.

So! That only left you with one of the options, really. Kindness! A good default, in your opinion. It felt natural. You couldn’t be rude, you couldn’t give them any reason to target you, and you liked being nice. So you would just kill them with kindness! 

No one could get mad at you for being nice. Sure, it was obvious some of them didn’t like you being there - even if it wasn’t as intense as the dislike you’d seen them display in the game towards both the protagonist and antagonist alike - but being nice wasn’t a bad thing!

… Right?

Thankfully, the dialogue choice took away all control from you and, in doing so, all chance of failure. Well- any chance of failure via presentation. In a way, that made you feel better. Even if you didn’t really like the feeling of helplessness that came with it.

***Be rude back**

***Ignore it**

**> *Be kind**

“Yeah, I suppose it could be better, huh? There’s always room for improvement!” you heard the happy humour in your tone when you spoke as if it was someone else talking, and felt yourself turn to Blue, “You should give me a nickname! I know you could come up with something even cooler to call me.”

The dialogue options made you feel like you were in some kind of out-of-body experience. It  _ sucked _ ! Regaining yourself vaguely unnerved again, you heard Red grumbling something under his breath, but kept your attention focused on Blue. It was probably just something snide anyway. Just ignore the unpleasantness of… ha,  _ everything _ ... and it will eventually go away. Right? 

Blue’s eyelights seemed to glow a little brighter and he gasped in excitement, “I would be honoured, friend! You can count on me, the Magnificent Blue!”

“Of course!” you agreed. Blue fell into apparent thoughtfulness, squinting down into his bowl, so you turned back to your own chilli. Mmm. Good job, Adelaide.

Clinking utensils and idle chatter served to set the deceiving scene of a peaceful dinner between friends. Good thing it didn’t fool you. You didn’t need to feel welcome when you weren’t. It would only hinder you. Regardless, you took this as an opportunity to look more closely at everyone.

The table was quite large, which was obviously a necessity with how many people it needed to seat. Adelaide sat at its head. Directly across from her, at the other end of the table entirely, the chair remained empty. On your side of the table, Blue’s brother sat at the end to the very left. He was a lanky guy who you noticed from the corner of your eye kept glancing at you. His name was Stretch, you remembered. He was one of the romanceable options in Mercy (alongside his brother) and was quite shy. He averted his gaze whenever you turned to try to catch him in the act. Stretch had on a soft-looking orange hoodie that you were a little envious of. Your jacket wasn’t nearly as soft as his hoodie looked. 

Blue sat on the right of him, then you, then there was Rus to your right. He was just as lanky as Stretch, if not more so, but it was hard to be certain as he was in a slouch, looking relaxed and alert at the same time (how did he do that?). He was wearing a simple combo of black and dark grey, and had a golden tooth, too. Was that a coincidence? Either way: fancy. 

To his side sat his brother, Black, who was dressed similarly to him. Black was all rough edges and cold disposition. Simply put: icy. A scar ran over his left eyesocket. Not someone you wanted to mess with, from what little you were aware. His attitude, while not outright violent, was something to be cautious of. More so even, since the outright violence of some of the skeleton family was obvious to spot and thus combat if needed (in other words: easier to run from).

Roulette and Sniper were just after Black, finely dressed and intimidating. They were bigger than a lot of the others (Sniper, towering over Roulette, was the taller of the two) and wore fedoras atop their heads to top off their classy look. They commanded attention, their presence mysterious and powerful. You didn’t know that much about them. Never got the chance. You never would, if you had a say in the matter. 

To their right were two empty chairs (damn, there were a lot of empty chairs), right next to the one across from Adelaide, so you moved on. Now for the opposite side from you. 

Sans sat across from Stretch, followed by his brother Papyrus. Both, you noted, were romanceable options. The only other romanceable options in Mercy, actually. Sans was smiling over at his brother, listening to him speak with a lazy sort of ease- he reminded you of a cat. And Papyrus- well, Papyrus was a big sweetheart, quite a bit taller than his brother and wearing some kind of makeshift armour. It didn’t make him intimidating whatsoever though, especially with the grin he had on as he talked animatedly to his brother and their landlord. Edge sat by him, looking grouchy and stern. If Black was all ice, Edge was all fire. His gaze held a burning heat when he looked up from his plate to you. He looked like he wanted to say something to you rather badly but was withholding. Whatever it was, you knew it wasn't anything pleasant and were happy when he turned back to his food rather quickly, a frown set on his face that was rather fierce. He was, as expected, sharp; his namesake fit him well. Scars adorned his left eyesocket, similarly to Black but more heavily damaged. Were they claw marks? You couldn’t really tell. Edge wore a lot of red and black, just like his brother beside him. Speaking of his brother… Red glared at you as your eyes met his. He honestly scared you more than his brother. You moved on past him quite quickly, anxious at the look. 

Axe tapped a skeletal finger against the table with his free hand as he ate, occasionally stuttering in its rhythm and switching itself up, big red eyelight trailing lazily around the room.  __ He looked so similar to Sans- but much bigger. And… well, a little unhinged. Was that rude? Probably. He even had on similar clothes, though a bit dirtied. A gaping hole made up a decent chunk of his head and you turned your eyes from him so you wouldn’t be caught staring, something twisting in your gut at the sight of him. Did it hurt? You hoped not, regardless of his inclinations in game. Chesire ate rather ravenously beside his brother, towering over everyone present in a hunch that to you looked rather uncomfortable. His teeth looked even more uncomfortable - that had to be painful - and you stifled a grimace. You didn’t want any look you made to be misunderstood. Poor guy, though. Someone really needed to help fix his dental issue. It couldn’t be good for him. His eyelights, you saw, were pinpricks in his sockets (very, very tiny) and he had the skeletal equivalent of bags under his eyes, the bone there a little sunken in. You hadn’t thought that was possible.

The brothers beside them were much the same, in terms of damage. Hacksaw, who was around Chesire’s height, also had a gaping hole in his head. His hands fidgeted inside his hoodie pockets (orange like Stretch’s, but an off-colour of it). Thresher was smiling over at his brother, and you saw that his teeth were sharp- they were needle-like and crooked. Tons and tons of needles. They looked quite painful, too. Regardless of the intimidating teeth, Thresher seemed kind and positive as he spoke almost as animatedly as Papyrus.

The last chair was yet another empty one. That made a total of four empty seats, excluding the seat you took. It added up with the skeletons missing. Dread and his brother Butcher, then Ink and Error. Enough for them and one extra person- obviously for the antagonist when she arrives.

You were actually really glad that Dread and Butcher weren’t present; they scared you the most. You shuddered. Hopefully you would never meet them. You felt a little rude thinking that, but it was warranted. They were probably the most deadly, as far as you were aware. The largest of the bunch, too. You would fight tooth and nail not to get tangled in that business.

You went back to eating the (delicious) chilli, a weird shakiness settling in your chest. It felt different than anything you’d ever experience before, but you knew that your fear was the cause. It didn’t quite feel… physical, if that made sense. Perhaps it was your Soul, trembling in fright? You knew you had one, but you had yet to learn much about it. Soon enough, dinner came to an end. It was nerve wracking waiting to leave, but you wanted to talk to Adelaide before you ran for the hills.

She was quick to get up and collect everyone’s dishes (to the protests of a few of the skeletons), moving around the table with the growing pile of bowls in her arms as everyone started to clear out of the dining room. Blue, with his brother not far behind, stood from his chair and gave a cheerful wave, "I hope to see you again soon, friend!"

You waved back at the pair and Stretch gave a hesitant nod of his head in return. As the brothers started walking away, a little  **_ping_ ** went off in your head. You nearly jumped from the volume of it in the mostly quiet room. Huh- what- " **_Check requires 4 Perception… Perception check successful!_ ** " flashed in your vision. Your eyes felt drawn towards Stretch. You were just… so compelled, you almost couldn't control the way your gaze darted to him. You just looked. You looked and, as he got close enough to touch and then finally walked past you, there was no missing the wary look that crossed his face as he went. Your brows furrowed. What was that about?

Your curiosity took to the back burner once you noticed all of the guys were gone now. You and Adelaide stood alone in the room. You started picking up some of the bowls to keep your hands occupied as you thought of a way to approach her. 

“Adelaide?” you finally spoke up as the two of you made your way to the kitchen to set the dirty dishes in the sink, and she looked your way, “Thanks for inviting me to dinner. The chili was really tasty.”

“You’re welcome! I wouldn’t mind if we did this again sometime. I know we don’t know each other that well, but dinner was really nice and Blue seemed to like you, too. If you wanted to, I mean!” Adelaide reiterated, clasping her hands together over her chest once she set her armful down, looking hopefully over at you.

“Ah- I, umm- I don’t think I can- I’m sorry,” you couldn’t say yes to that - not to being here, not if you wanted to be safe - but you weren’t going to just abandon her. Adelaide looked a little downtrodden, probably thinking the exact opposite of that, so you rushed to finish speaking. Get your shit together! She was misunderstanding! You couldn't ruin this  _ that  _ badly. You’d stayed behind to ask her to keep in touch, after all, “I was hoping we could hang out in town sometime!”

She perked up at that.

“Yeah, I’d love to. It’s been a while since I’ve gone into town for anything besides chores. Oh- wait just a moment!” Adelaide clapped her hands together, looking rather joyful, and jogged from the room. When she came back, it was with a pad of paper and a pen. She jotted something down and ripped the piece off, handing it over to you.

_Adelaide ♡ (XXX) XXX-XXXX_

You would have to add a phone to your list of things to get. You put the slip into your jacket pocket and said, “Well, I’d better get going. It was nice to meet you, Adelaide. I’ll talk to you later.”

“See ya! Have a great night- and stay warm! It’s a little nippy out.”

“You, too!” you waved goodbye.

Then you left, Stormcrest Apartments fading from view the further into town you headed. A pressure lifted from you as you looked over your shoulder to see it gone.

**_“A Lovely Way to Spend an Evening”_ **

**_I’ve just finished at Grillby’s and I feel confident enough to start moving again. But where to? I need someplace to sleep. Someplace safe._ **

**_-Find a safe place to sleep! Who knows, maybe you can find someone who will lend a hand?_ **

**_-Help Adelaide. Good breeds good in return! (_ ** **_Completed!_ ** **_)_ **

**_-Find a way to stay the night! You still need someplace to sleep! (_ ** **_Failed!_ ** **_)_ **

That went rather well for a dinner with such a dangerous bunch. You even got a friend out of it! The only thing left to do for the day was to seek shelter. If you recalled right, there was supposed to be a Map you could use. That would make things a lot easier. You could use the help- you were exhausted! Sure enough, after a bit of focus, up popped a minimap a little off to the side. 

Your first choice of a place didn’t go so well. You couldn’t find a Shelter to stay at for the night on the Map. It wasn’t too surprising, though. This town was small. A lot of homelessness in smaller towns was ignored. It was sad, but there was nothing you could do about that, especially in your current circumstance.

You did, however, see a few exclamation points scattered. Upon further examination, they led you to a house off in the outskirts, the parking lot of a store that was in ruins, and somewhere in the forest at the edge of town. So three choices on where to go. You’d go look at each before you decided, since this might be an extended stay, but for now you would go to the closest one.

**_-Find a safe place to sleep!_ ** **_Who knows, maybe you can find someone who will lend a hand?_ **

**_-The uninhabited house_ **

**_-The broken down car in the parking lot_ **

**_-The tree house in the forest_ **

The parking lot was on the complete other side of town, so that crossed that one out for tonight. Not to mention it didn’t sound too comfortable.

That left either the abandoned house or the tree house… hm, it looked like the abandoned house was a little closer. 

So off you went, following your minimap.

↢⟲↣

Overgrowth was taking over a decent amount of the outside of the house when you approached. It was a bit out of the way of the few houses scattered on the outskirts of town, so you weren’t too worried about being caught if you made a bit of a racket trying to find a way in. Luckily, you didn’t have to. With a  **_ping!_ ** as you twisted the doorknob, the door opened with a soft click. It wasn’t locked! You rejoiced, closing the door behind you and making your way further in.

The inside was very dusty - not that dust was a surprise for an abandoned building - but for the most part the house was in good condition. A few cracks and chips in the plaster here and there, but it would do quite well. Your footsteps were loud in your ears, echoing back at you through the empty house. You opened the doors as you went. Bathroom, small bedroom, then the master bedroom. There was some furniture left behind, the more into the back you went. A small end table in the smaller bedroom, a chair sat in the bathroom (why the bathroom??), and the last of the rooms had an empty bookshelf and a single mattress set on the floor. 

That would be your room for the night. You didn’t particularly want to sleep on the floor and the mattress was oddly clean, as if someone had left behind a brand new one when they moved. Not that you were going to complain about that. It worked out in your best interests, after all.

**_-Find a safe place to sleep!_ ** ~~**_Who knows, maybe you can find someone who will lend a hand?_ ** ~~

**_-The uninhabited house (_ ** **_Completed!_ ** **_)_ **

**_-The broken down car in the parking lot_ **

**_-The tree house in the forest_ **

A cheery jingle played.

**_“A Lovely Way to Spend an Evening” … Complete!_ **

**_XP. earned… 160!_ **

**_LVL. up!_ **

That was good! You could do something with your Stats or Perks. You would have to go into town, too, and find a job. You remembered seeing a cute little antique shop. You would try there. But none of that mattered right now. You would focus on that in the morning. You were way too tired to be making such important decisions. But first…

You didn’t feel safe sleeping in an unlocked, abandoned building. You would fix that as best you could. You walked over to the bookshelf and painstakingly scooted it across the floor to the door. It wasn’t easy, even with empty shelves. It was oddly heavy and had been on the other side of the room from the door. You panted and huffed, muscles aching. When you finally managed to settle the bookcase in front of the door, you slumped against the wall for a few minutes to catch your breath. After you felt good enough to move, you checked the window. When you found it unlocked, you flipped the lock into place. There, much better. You felt secure enough.

You set down your backpack beside the mattress before collapsing onto it. You were out like a light only a few minutes later.

One day down, many more to go.

↢⟲↣

1) What should Reader do with their LV up?:

-A: Put it into a Stat!

-B: Save it for later.

2) What should Reader do tomorrow after the job search?:

-A: Go to the library (15% chance of finding a Perk book!)

-B: Find a gym! You need to get your Strength stat up, just in case. (+2 Strength after a day)

-C: Dumpster dive- desperate times call for desperate measures. Who knows, maybe you’ll find something good? (Find ??? and 20 gold)

3) Reader should:

-A: Stay in the uninhabited house

-B: Choose the broken down car in the parking lot instead

-C: Go with the tree house in the forest

  
  


4) On Sunday, Reader should:

-A: Go to the gym again! (50/50 chance for +2 Strength or +2 Agility after a day)

-B: Take a walk at the park (90% chance of bumping into Blue and ???)

-C: Explore your temporary home. You didn’t look around too much before. (Find ??? and ???; requires 6 Luck, 20% chance of injury)

5) Reader is a little dirty and work is fast approaching. They should:

-A: Find a creek to bathe in. Brrr, might be a little chilly!

-B: Find a public bathroom and use one of your spare shirts as a washcloth.

-C: Just go to work as is. A little dirt never hurt.

6) With their first paycheck, Reader should:

-A: Buy some food and a room at a hotel!

-B: Save it.

-C: Get some blankets and pillows to make their hideout more comfy.

-D: Get a phone so they can keep in touch with Adelaide. They’ll still have a little to spare after.


	4. Once In a Blue Moon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reader gets a job.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Time for Reader to get a job!!

**Chapter Four: Once In a Blue Moon**

You stirred early that morning, as the sun was starting to peak shyly over the horizon in a stunning array of pink and orange light, to find a light snow falling outside your window. The cold would be awful in the house soon without heat inside to combat it. You had a few days, maybe a week or two if you were lucky, before then. Already, the cold had seeped through enough that the glass started to blur at the edges with fog, settling near the window and near enough to make you uncomfortable. A shiver wracked your frame as you shook yourself awake further, letting the sleeves of your jacket fall down to cover your near-icy hands.

You hoped once the sun rose, it wouldn’t stick. You hadn’t thought the weather would change so rapidly overnight, but it wasn’t too far-fetched that a little snow would be in store, now that you were thinking more about it. It had been chilly enough yesterday that you knew the cold months were approaching. It hadn’t occurred to you to check Adelaide’s home for a calendar while you were there, but you wished you had. It would’ve been nice to know what the date was. You needed to keep yourself better prepared- for any circumstance really. You couldn’t afford to be so idle-minded when your life hung in the balance.

Regardless, it didn’t take knowing the exact date to know the season. If the tiny flakes outside were any indication, winter would soon start. That meant you would need firewood if you didn’t want to freeze to death. The house was decently isolated and had many trees bordering its yard, so there wouldn’t be a lack of wood (though it might be a little difficult for you to chop up). Overall, your safest bet would be to stay here, so that called for a change of plans with the housing exploration. You couldn’t pick any of the alternatives of the house. Both of your other options would be awful choices now that you needed to stay warm. The treehouse would not be good with insulation and would be at risk of burning down should you need to start a fire and the car would turn into a metal deathtrap (no loss there- you wouldn’t have chosen it unless you were in desperate circumstances, as a last ditch effort). Squatting here would suffice until things were better. It would be awhile before you could afford a lot of things, especially your own home. 

You made up your mind. With or without the cold, you would not do like the map suggested and change where you stayed (as tempting as the treehouse had sounded before, since you’d never had one, realistically speaking it wasn’t the best).

You sat up on the bare mattress. One look at the door and the bookshelf propped in front of it made you reconsider leaving the room right now. You would go to the Pause room before stretching your legs and future-you would have to deal with that problem. You didn’t want to deal with hefting that away from the door right after waking up.

The world came to a pause, snow dropping down in slow-mo before stopping entirely, then one burst of dizzy nausea later and you were once again standing in the Pause room. You threw a hand over your mouth, bile burning your throat. Oh, god- unlucky for you, you couldn’t keep it in this time. You threw up. 

_Eugh_. Gross. And a waste of food. The only good thing that came out of that was that you didn’t have to worry about clean-up. It vanished off the floor only a second after you heaved it up. Hopefully Grim didn’t personally do that. That would be embarrassing.

Face a bit warm still, worried that Grim might have somehow seen that entire trainwreck, you made your way over to the Options screen. Little bells ringed from somewhere - though they were nowhere to be seen - as it loaded.

**Your Profile**

**-Status**

**-Karma**

**-Stats and Perks (!)**

**-Active Quests (!)**

**Other**

**-Background Information**

**-Profiles (!)**

The exclamation points flashed. You recalled that you had LVLed up last night. It slipped your mind for a minute with the appearance of the snow. _Get yourself together- this is important stuff!_

**Stats**

**_1 available point! Please assign it to a Stat or a Perk!_ **

**Str. 2**

**Per. 6**

**End. 6**

**Cha. 8 (+2 Soul bonus)**

**Int. 7**

**Ag. 4**

**Lu. 7**

**Perks**

**Mark of the Fallen Angel (You’ve been Marked by Death): Grants you access to Death’s Domain and help from The Guide.**

**Available Perks:** **Unavailable Perks:**

 **Persuasion (Req. 4 Cha.)** **Made of Steel (Req. 5 Str., 5 End.)**

**Animal Friend (Req. 6 Cha.)**

**Swift Learner (Req. 4 Int.)**

**Thief (Req. 4 Per., 4 Ag.)**

**Persuasion: Unlocks unique dialogue options that have a slightly higher chance of swaying others.**

**Animal Friend: Animals love you! You can befriend animals easily, whether they’re hostile or not.**

**Swift Learner: A +10% XP boost. You read Perk books faster, too.**

**Thief: Swiping things is a cinch! You gain the ability to lockpick and when you’re stealing something you will be alerted when someone can (or can’t!) see you.**

**Made of Steel: Damage resistance raises. You can take more of a beating when the going gets tough.**

That was a tad bit overwhelming. Perhaps you should give yourself some time to think this through. You needed to be absolutely certain you were picking the right thing. You opted to check the Profiles before your Quests (speaking of… the quest - or quests - must have been given to you when you were sleeping; you don’t remember seeing it and it definitely would have stuck out if you had).

**Profiles**

**-Death (Grim) (!)**

**-Adelaide (!)**

**-Sans (!)**

**-Papyrus (!)**

**-Blue (!)**

**-Stretch (!)**

**-Red (!)**

**-Edge (!)**

**-Black (!)**

**-Rus (!)**

**-Roulette (!)**

**-Sniper (!)**

**-Axe (!)**

**-Chesire (!)**

**-Hacksaw (!)**

**-Thresher (!)**

Oh my- that was also quite a lot! You should’ve seen that coming. You supposed you would just go down the list in order.

**Death (Grim)**

**(Redacted) Soul (+Redacted)**

**HP: ∞/∞**

**MP: ∞/∞**

**_How troublesome… he hopes this new development won’t complicate matters…_ **

Well that was odd. You wondered what was troubling Grim. Perhaps collecting Souls had gone wrong? Whatever it was had nothing to do with you though, so you pushed your curiosity aside and moved on.

**Adelaide**

**Bravery Soul (+2 Strength)**

**HP: 20/20**

**MP: 10/10**

**_She’s glad she met you and hopes you’ll call soon. You seem nice and she’s honestly a little lonely._ **

**Sans**

**HP: 1**

**MP: 100/100**

**_There’s something off about the human that showed up last night. He hopes that’s the last he sees of you._ **

**Papyrus**

**HP: 680**

**MP: 20/20**

**_Adelaide seems to really like the new human! Maybe you can be friends with him, too?_ **

**Blue**

**HP: 760**

**MP: 25/25**

**_He wonders why the others don’t like you. You’re a very kind human! He hopes you’ll bump into each other in town!_ **

**Stretch**

**HP: 1**

**MP: 75/75**

**_He wonders why you feel so… strange. You don’t seem bad… at least, he hopes you aren’t._ **

**Red**

**HP: 1**

**MP: 80/80**

**_You’ll stay away if you know what’s good for you. He feels like you’re trouble. Something ain’t right._ **

**Edge**

**HP: 800**

**MP: 50/50**

**_He’s unimpressed with you. You look weak. You’re not worth his time._ **

**Black**

**HP: 825**

**MP: 65/65**

**_You look fragile. How pitiful._ **

**Rus**

**HP: 1**

**MP: 85/85**

**_Something’s not right with you, but he’s unconcerned. You’re harmless. Though if you try anything..._ **

**Roulette**

**HP: 1**

**MP: 88/88**

**_As long as you don’t stir up trouble, he doesn’t care if you stick around or about whatever it is that’s goin’ on with ya. He’s got business he needs to take care of._ **

**Sniper**

**HP: 810**

**MP: 70/70**

**_A new human in town, eh? He doesn’t know if you’re trouble or not, but you best keep to yourself. It’s dangerous around these parts._ **

**Axe**

**HP: 1**

**MP: 98/98**

**_Something is… wrong. Bad._ **

**Cheshire**

**HP: 500**

**MP: 18/18**

**_He hopes you’re not one of the bad humans. He would like to make a friend._ **

**Hacksaw**

**HP: 1**

**MP: 71/71**

**_Odd..._ **

**Thresher**

**HP: 680**

**MP: 22/22**

**_Oh! A new human! He’s curious. He hopes you’ll be friends with him!_ **

That was unsettling. Nervousness crept into your Soul, digging in deep. Off? You were off? How so? You hoped now more than ever that you wouldn’t bump into any of the skeletons, if they sensed something they didn’t like in you already. Except maybe Blue and Papyrus. Maybe Thresher and Chesire, too? Agh, damn it! No, no, no! You can’t- you were going to get yourself killed thinking that way! Just stick with Adelaide and Blue. Papyrus would probably be fine to add into that, but any of the others and you would be dragged in too deep.

Though… could you really leave things the way they were and hope for the best? Adelaide was in danger. She would stay in danger as long as she was around the skeletons, and the antagonist would arrive and only add to her a tough time. Could you really abandon her knowing that? She seemed so nice and… well, you didn’t feel right condemning someone to something that you could help them avoid. You couldn’t flee knowing she could die. You didn’t know how to fix it, but you had to do something, even if it was somehow convincing the skeletons that she was good enough not to hurt. However you would do that! You didn’t even know how to convince them _you_ were good enough not to hurt!

For now, you needed to get on your feet. Then you would worry about helping.

**Active Quests**

**“I’ll Get By”**

**I have a place to stay for now, but I still need to make money if I want to live. It’s time to get a job!**

**-Find a job!**

You unpaused, swaying but thankfully not throwing up a second time. For now, you needed to focus on the here and now. Future-you could worry about the rest. Making your way over to the bookshelf blocking the door, you began the unfortunately arduous task of pushing it far enough away from the door to slip out of the room. It was a good thing you didn’t have to move it across the room again. You grabbed your backpack from beside the mattress and made your way out of the building, tired already but determined, and began your trek into town. Job hunting time!

**_Quest Start!_ **

↢⟲↣

You still had your eye on the antique shop, but made a few stops first. You couldn’t just stop at one place and not have some sort of failsafe. That was just setting yourself up for failure. You were glad, at least, that it didn’t really seem to be a formal process. Most of the people you talked to were easy-going and friendly. You didn’t exactly have an ID or a resume or anything of the sort (fuck- how were you going to do that?), so you were definitely relieved that you didn’t have to explain away your lack of them.

By the time you were downtown again, for the second time since you got here, it was noon. The light snow had stopped and the frost that had gathered on the grass early morning was melted away from the sunshine. That was a good sign. You still had time to gather wood and find stuff to keep yourself warm. You crossed your fingers that it would indeed be a week before the cold really set in.

“Once In a Blue Moon Antiques _,_ ” was a beautiful little shop, swirly and seemingly hand-painted font made up the sign in a dazzling blue; a tiny moon replaced the first O. What a cute store! A little cheery bell chimed as you entered and a man looked up from the desk nearby.

“Hey there, stranger! Haven’t seen you ‘round these parts before. We don’t usually get many tourists, especially since the monsters came uptop. Welcome to Ebott!” he said kindly, a little smile curling his lips, “How may I help you this fine afternoon?”

“Actually, I was looking to apply here!” you said, giving him the most charming smile you could muster, “Are you hiring?”

**_Ping! 5 Charisma required to charm the shopkeep! ... Charisma check success!_ **

“Well I’ll be- you’re movin’ into Ebott? Hmm... might got a job for ya! Can’t say we get a lot o’ new folks!” he said, “It’s a real pleasure to make your acquaintance. I’m Alexander Moon. Just Alex by most ‘round here. What’s your name, darlin’?”

You told him your name and he stuck out his hand to shake. You reached across the counter and shook it, “It’s a pleasure to meet you, too.”

“Now about that job,” Alex said, “I think I can get somethin’ set up. It’s just me, myself, and I workin’ here. We’re gonna have a little talk beforehand, jus’ you and I, see if you’re really fit to be helpin’ out ‘round my store.”

“Thanks, Mr. Moon!” you smiled, “I really appreciate it!”

“Enough of that now- Mr. Moon is my Papa. Alex is fine, ‘specially if you’re gonna be workin’ here.” he gestured to the door behind him leading to the back of the shop, “You fine to have that interview now? Don’t got much business ‘round this time, so there’s plenty to say what needs to be said.”

You nodded and followed him behind the counter and into the back. He stood, holding the door open as you walked in. A little office of sorts was there. A desk was off to the side with paperwork stacked on its surface (a lot of paperwork- you were glad that wasn’t your job to handle!) and a picture frame of Alex and two smiling kids. There were two chairs, one in front and one behind the desk. There wasn’t much else after that besides a table along the left wall, a microwave and coffee machine perched on it. Alex waved over at the chair and you took a seat. He followed not far after you.

“Want some coffee, darlin’?” he asked.

“No, thank you.” you politely refused. You didn’t want caffeine, your nerves were already a little battered from everything going on. It would only serve to make you jittery.

“Alright then,” he steepled his fingers in front of himself and for a moment you were reminded of the other day, when you met Grim, expect this man was far from the Reaper. Almost the exact opposite of him actually, “I’m gonna be as straightforward as possible. Why d’you think to work here? I’m willin’ to help you out, but I can’t have just any careless folk runnin’ around my store. I have enough of that as is with my customers.”

“I- well, to be completely honest, sir, I just liked the look of your shop. I used to love going to antique stores when I was a kid. It’s really nostalgic being here and I could use a bit of that right now, with the way things have been going. And- and well- it reminds me of my grandpa- I-... really miss him. I’ll be really careful! I promise I won’t break anything!”

**_Ping! 7 Charisma required to charm the shopkeep! … Charisma check successful!_ **

Alex took a moment, humming as he thought, “Well alright- I’ll give you a shot. When d’ya think you can start workin’?”

“As soon as you want!” you said, elated. You hoped that didn’t sound too eager.

“Quite the enthusiasm ya got there. Music to my ears! You start after this weekend finishes up- jus’ the day after tomorrow, so don’t forget it, y’hear? Monday. 6 o’clock sharp. Don’ be late, darlin’.”

You stood, almost stumbling in your excitement, and had to keep from running to the exit. A job! You got a job! And in just a day of trying!! You hadn’t believed in your wildest dreams that it would be that easy. You could squeal, you were so happy!

**_“I’ll Get By”_ **

**_I have a place to stay for now, but I still need to make money if I want to live. It’s time to get a job!_ **

**_-Find a job! (Complete!)_ **

**_“I’ll Get By” … Complete!_ **

**_XP. earned… 200!_ **

Ah- but… maybe it was too easy? You had to be careful not to be late or anything of that sort. You would hate to be fired so soon when you desperately needed the money. You felt like you had to tread lightly. You weren’t usually this lucky. _But_ , you reminded yourself, _things are different here._ This was a whole new life and you had a decent amount of luck. You just needed to relax and try your best. Everything would be fine.

Back out on the streets downtown, you made your way in the direction opposite of your home, pulling up your minimap to see the layout of town as you walked. In the meantime, you needed to find something to make your life a little easier. With the job (and thus a bit of the money problem) settled, you had some spare time to try fixing something else. But what? Hmm… you needed to learn a little more about this world so you didn’t stand out. You also needed to get your Stats up a little. That bookshelf served to prove just how bad it would be if you were attacked. You needed to be able to defend yourself at the very least.

That meant a trip to the library was in order. You could look into some history, maybe find some self-defense books while you were there. The map made finding the library pretty easy, thankfully.

Ebott Library was a moderately sized building, old-fashioned and built to be sturdy and simple, so it had probably been around since the founding of the town. There were a few people and monsters milling about, but it wasn’t particularly busy as you made your way in. You were glad for that. The peace and quiet would be a nice change of pace from the last couple of days; you figured you deserved some time to relax, since you’d been so stressed out lately. You’d died, for fucksake! You should get some time to kick back!

Finding a rather comfortable seat in the back, you set down your backpack on the cushion and went to peruse the shelves.

It took awhile, but you found a few you thought would help you out. Before you went to sit down, something caught your eye. It flashed the same light green as The Guide, then settled for having a highlight of the colour around it. You lifted it up, looking at the cover.

“Healing Magic for Dummies,” you read, intrigued. 

**Healing Magic for Dummies - Grants the Perk “Healer” when read. It requires 5 Intelligence, 7 Perception, and 6 Agility to read.**

Damn it. Looks like you can’t read it quite yet. But it would definitely be handy to read later! When you sat down at the seat you chose (which was really rather comfy), you hesitated a little before you put the Perk book into your bag. Did you have to have a library card to take it with you? You would check once you got up front. You didn’t think you would be allowed to otherwise and you didn’t particularly want to steal it.

You spent a few hours reading the history books, then swapped to the self-defense text. You hoped it would help, at least a little.

**_Ping! Background Information updated!_ **

Soon, it was time to leave. You made your way to the front desk.

“Excuse me, m’am?” you asked, “Is there any way I can get a library card?”

“Of course, sweetie.” the librarian smiled softly - her nametag read Carrie Darton - reaching under the desk, “You new in town? Just don’t forget to bring your books back or we’ll have to fine ya.”

She held a slip of paper in one hand and a paper library card in the other, “Just put down your signature here on this slip and the books you’re borrowin’. You can take this card in the meantime. It’s only temporary, so come back an’ get yourself somethin’ better later on.”

You signed the slip and wrote the titles like she said, took the card, and then took your leave.

When you finally made it home, you put the bookshelf back in place and set your backpack down, stomach growling, and laid on your bed to sleep. It was a little early, but you were too tired to stay up for much longer. You hoped you could fix your Stats soon- you didn’t want to tire so easily forever. You had too much at stake.

↢⟲↣

The next day, you decided you would stay home. You didn’t want to risk oversleeping if you managed to overexert yourself with work coming up tomorrow.

A little exploration around the house was called for! You made your way around, carefully stepping over broken glass from who-knows-what in the second bedroom. The window wasn’t broken- none of them were in any part of the house, thankfully - so you had no clue what it came from. Your answer came when you went into the bathroom. The mirror above the sink was shattered, bits of glass in the sink and on the floor around the porcelain. Why and how did the pieces of this mirror get in the guest bedroom? Ah, well. It didn’t really matter.

The search was fruitless until you got to a closet at the back of the hall. **_Ping! 6 Luck required… Luck check succeeded!_ **There you noticed a loose floorboard poking up from the ground. Oh! You were excited; yeah, it could be just a broken floorboard, but it could also be a hiding space for something good! And your chances were looking rather good, if you did say so yourself. Why else would you need a luck check for a loose floorboard?

You reached down and started to pry at it with your hands.

 _Ow_! Fuck! Not your smartest idea. You flinched backward, clutching your hand to your chest as you hissed in pain. A gash marred the palm of your hand, though it was a good thing it wasn’t that deep. You tried your best not to trail blood across the house as you went to grab a shirt to press to the wound from your backpack; you didn’t want to find out the hard way if anything would come sniffing at the scent of your blood. You hoped that whatever cut you (probably a nail) wasn’t rusty. Though you don’t think you had to worry- you had a tetanus shot. The worst that could happen was an infection if you weren’t careful.

 **HP: 17/20** floated in front of you as you walked. At least it wasn’t too bad.

After dealing with the wound (wrapping a shoddy, makeshift bandage from one of your shirts around your hand), you went back. This time you had a sturdy stick you found just outside. A few pulls, careful to mind the wound you’d carelessly caused, and the board popped up. Under was a pretty looking jewelry box- golden and ornate. You picked it up and turned it in your hands. When you opened it, a little horse spun in a circle, prancing to the soft tinkle of a melody. Oh, it was a music box, too! Inside was a necklace. Oh, my- a rather expensive-looking necklace. It had what could very well be real sapphires and diamonds twined together on the intricate metal cord, meeting in a point at the center. The main jewel, dangling down as the centerpiece of it, was in the shape of a teardrop made from both of the precious stones, twirled amongst each other. Round sapphires lined the neckline, similar in size but not quite as big, just as dazzling. You didn’t really know what to do with it. Perhaps it was an heirloom? Whoever had lived here hadn’t wanted it if they left it behind, so at the very least you didn’t feel bad when you slipped once more back into your room and put the box and necklace in your Inventory.

Later that day, while reading one of the library books you’d borrowed in the dimming light from your window, you realized how dirty you must be from wandering around the house, the treeline outside, and around town. You hadn’t really thought too much about it until just then since you’d been so distracted, but you couldn’t show up to work tomorrow morning looking like that! That was a one way ticket to being fired first thing!

You thought briefly about the creek you’d seen nearby, but decided against that rather quickly. It was too chilly already to be going out in it. You could catch a cold and you couldn’t be down for the count, so that wasn’t really something you were willing to risk.

After a trip into town, you went to the closest place you could find and ducked into the restroom. And lucky you, it turned out to be one of those single bathrooms! You locked the door, pulled a spare shirt out of your backpack, and got to work cleaning your skin in the sink as best you could. You were a little embarrassed, but ultimately just said fuck it and used some of the soap there to quickly lather and rinse your hair. It wasn’t the most pleasant experience, but at least you wouldn’t look awful on your first day at your job. You didn’t think paper towels would work as well as cloth for drying your hair, so you just stuck with using another shirt for that.

No one was around to see you leave this late, so you didn’t get any weird looks from the wet hair you definitely didn’t have before you entered the bathroom. Luck strikes again (you think)!

That night, after you returned home, you took a while to fall asleep. Laying down staring at the ceiling for about an hour, you were too excited to drift off right away in your excitement (and honestly a little from your empty stomach), before finally - thankfully - you passed out.

↢⟲↣

You got into a sort of routine for that week. Wake up at 5:30 o’clock, walk to Once In a Blue Moon Antiques and help set up shop to open at 6 o’clock (your boss had been pleasantly surprised when you’d done that the first time - on the first day after you’d accidently shown up early - and you’d continued doing it after that), you’d work your shift, and then go home. On your way home, you would stop by the gas station and use what the little money you had up front from Mr. Moon to get something to eat (he’d said it was a tip for being so helpful and you’d thanked him profusely). Once you got home, you would chop some wood in preparation for winter with an axe you found out back (it took a lot longer than you would have liked and a lot more effort, with little to show), then you would go inside to read. The books didn’t seem to raise anything Stat or Perk wise, but you had learned a decent amount so you were satisfied. Maybe it would after you finished the book? You doubted it. How would something like Strength raise with a book of all things? After you read, you would sleep. Lather, rinse, repeat, so to speak. It worked just fine for you. You liked how uneventful it was- it was much better than worrying for your safety. 

You hadn’t run into any skeletons (or Adelaide) either. While you were relieved, you were simultaneously guilty. You a little worried for Adelaide. You told yourself you would help her and it felt wrong to leave her in her precarious situation.What if she became injured? What if she _died_? You would have to find her soon. Unless it was already too late. You felt nauseous at that thought.

Now, the week had all but passed. You were walking to work on Friday. It had gotten a little colder, but hadn’t snowed again. You knew it would soon enough. When you finally made it in the little shop, Alex greeted you with a big smile, more cheerful than usual.

“Gotta paycheck today, darlin’! Nice work ya’ been doin’! Keep it up!” he praised.

Cheerful with the news, work flew by. You thought about what to do with the money as you went, eager to finally have something more to work with than the little-to-nothing you’d had previous. On your way out the door later that day, your boss handed you an envelope with your pay, “There ya go! Don’t go spendin’ it all in one place, now!”

He chuckled and waved you out the door.

In the end, your thoughts drifted back to Adelaide and you ended up getting a phone and putting the rest aside to save. You would have to be careful with spending until your next pay day. Until then, you would continue as you were. For the most part- you were determined to keep Adelaide safe.

If you hadn’t failed her already…

After wandering around in the backyard for hours collecting firewood, you went inside. Too dark now to do much of anything. At least you had enough to last you for awhile now. You put Adelaide’s number into your phone, laid down on the mattress, and stared at the screen in the dark, huddled in on yourself in the cold. You debated whether it would be too rude to call her now. She wouldn’t understand your worries if she was still okay; she didn’t know what you knew.

You really, really hoped you weren’t too late. You’d never forgive yourself.

↢⟲↣

1) Reader should call Adelaide:

-A: Now!!

-B: Tomorrow morning. It’s a little late to do it tonight!

2) If Reader is invited somewhere, they should:

-A: Accept (Positive rep with ???, Reader may potentially be injured)

-B: Decline (Karma will go down! Adelaide may potentially be injured. Or worse...)

3) Reader needs to stay warm! They should:

-A: Steal something from work (Req. 4 Ag. 80% chance of success. Negative rep with Alexander Moon if failed)

-B: Buy a blanket from the store (-20 gold)

-C: Search around abandoned buildings for a blanket (Find ??? and a small blanket, Temp. negative stats for the rest of the day: -1 Str., -2 End.)

4) Reader still hasn’t used their point, they should:

-A: Continue to save it

-B: Put it into a Stat (if so, what Stat?)

-C: Put it into a Perk (if so, what Perk?)

5) It’s the weekend again! Reader should:

-Go to the park (Reader will meet Blue there)

-Go grocery shopping (Reader will bump into ???)

-Go to a restaurant and treat themself (Reader will see Cheshire)

6) There’s a confrontation at work! How should Reader respond?:

-They should stand up for themself! (Positive rep with ???, Negative rep with Alexander Moon)

-Reader should be submissive (Negative rep with ???, Positive rep with Alexander Moon)

-They should ignore it (Negative rep with Alexander Moon)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Keep in mind that negative rep lowers your standing (leading to lowered Karma if enough people get lowered enough) but won’t result in something bad from (most) people you interact with immediately. Be wary if you’re unaware of who you’re interacting with...
> 
> Also, if you're curious, the MP is magic level- sort of like magical stamina, I guess you could say? It's not straight up magical power (though stamina sure helps with that)! It doesn't necessarily mean that one is more dangerous than the other. In fact, the Horror variants have a bit less, due to the famine in their universes.


End file.
